Blue Raven, Red Lion, Black Dog
by Immortal Elf
Summary: Novel 1 in the Raven Chronicles. Judy Byrne was just another student at Hogwarts. But as she starts her sixth year and her father escapes from Azkaban, everything is about to change. Old friends, new dangers and a new love will change Judy's life forever
1. Prologue

**Author's note: **Just so you all know: I decided to repost chapters because the lay out of the old chapters for some reason changed. While doing so, however, I deleted chapter 1 instead of changing its content... I couldn't put it back up again the way it was, so I added chapter 1 to this prologue. I hope you'll enjoy this story and please take the time to review as it inspires me to continue writing the story :).

* * *

**Prologue**

She stood on the balcony, looking over the small park across the street. The full moon bathed the scene before her in a white glow. The light calmed her, she had always been afraid of the dark. Briana Byrne rubbed her arms as a cold breeze caught her off guard. She smiled at the surprise, she didn't experience such an emotion often. Her visions always made her prepare for whatever was to come. However, lately her premonitions had waned and the only thing that was left to her was an ever present cold knot in her stomach. An omen she couldn't quite place.

Briana looked down as a movement in the shadows caught her eye. The blackness of the figure's cloak was only broken by a white lock of hair, hanging in front of his face. Her breath caught as she recognized the cold eyes looking up at her.

She ran inside, along the corridor to the smallest room in the house. She knew there was no way to safe herself, but she could try to safe the young girl looking up at her from the crib. The young girl stretched her arms toward her mother, her large blue eyes reflecting the same emotion as her mother's. Briana had always known her daughter had inherited her gift.

She lifted the child from the crib, pressing her firmly against her chest as she ran toward the top of the stairs.

"Mother!" It took a few seconds for an older woman to appear at the bottom of the stairs.

"What is it?" asked the older woman alarmed.

"They're here,' said Briana, knowing those words were enough for her mother to understand. "You and father must hide." It was the only option for her Muggle parents to survive.

"I'll get him." The older woman turned but froze as the front door was blasted open.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Briana's heart stopped beating as she saw the green glow, filling the hallway. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran toward her bedroom and locked the door behind her. She sobbed as she heard the curse for the second time. She knew both her parents lay dead downstairs.

"Judy," whispered Briana, as she knelt beside her bed. "You need to be as quiet as a mouse."

"Nanna?" asked the two year old, looking up at her mother.

"Ssshh," Briana pushed the girl under the bed. She took out her wand, pointing it at her daughter for the first time in her life. "Silencio". She quickly got to her feet, aiming her wand at the closed door behind her. "I'm so sorry, Sirius," she whispered.

"Alohamora!" The door swung open and the Death Eater entered the room, his wand aimed at Briana's heart.

"I knew they would send you," said Briana, looking into the man's eyes.

"Then you also know you are going to die," he said in a cold voice. "Avada Kedavra!"

He watched the young woman fall to the floor, her face hidden by the curtain of her long black hair. The man smiled down on the corpse, as he dropped the small note. He turned and walked down the corridor, his long black cape billowing in his wake.

* * *

"Will you calm down!" James grabbed Sirius' arm as they walked through the small park they had Apparated in a moment before.

"How can I calm down if she's dead?" snapped Sirius back at him.

"You don't know that," retorted James as they crossed the street toward the house with a small rose garden in front of it. They froze as they saw the front door was ajar.

"No…" Sirius quickened his pace, taking the front steps two at a time. James quickly followed, nearly crashing into him as Sirius stopped dead in the open doorway.

The two men looked at the woman's corpse in silence.

"I'm sorry," James laid his hand on his best friend's arm. Sirius shook it off and stepped over the older woman's body. He stopped again at the door to the living room. An older man lay sprawled on the floor, his glasses lopsided. Sirius looked up the stairs as James came to stand beside him in the doorway.

"She has to be upstairs," said Sirius, turning on his heel.

"Wait!" James grabbed his arm again. "May be they're still here…" Sirius nodded and the two men both took out their wands.

"I'll go first," said Sirius, already on his way to the stairs. James followed in his wake, looking over his shoulder to make sure the first floor was safe.

Sirius made a left as they reached the second floor, walking through the open door to the smallest room in the house. He looked at the empty crib and met James' eyes as he turned back to the corridor.

"Sirius, may be…"

"Not now," said Sirius quickly, rushing past his best friend toward Briana's bedroom.

"Sirius, be careful!" called James, hurrying after him. "You don't know if…" His voice faltered as he reached Sirius' side. The two men looked at the young woman's body, both at a loss for words.

"No…" Sirius knelt down beside Briana's body. He brushed the long black mane of her hair from her face.

"Sirius…"

"NO!" The other man screamed, putting his arms under the woman and drawing her to his chest. "Briana…" He sobbed, rocking her back and forth.

"Sirius…" James scanned the room, worried.

"I thought…we thought she'd be safe here…" said Sirius, half talking to the woman he loved and half to James.

"Sirius!" said James firmly. The other man looked up from the woman in his arms. "Where's Judy?"

Both men looked at the rim of the bed as two small hands appeared from under it. Sirius quickly laid Briana's body back on the floor and crawled toward the young girl, emerging from her hiding place. Her eyes were fixed on her mother, her cheeks stained with tears.

"It's all right, sweetheart," said Sirius quickly, taking her under her armpits to lift her to his chest. It took a few seconds for both men to realize why they hadn't heard the crying girl before.

"She must have put a silencing charm on her," said James, aiming his wand at the young girl. As soon as his spell hit her, a long wail escaped the girl's lips.

James knelt beside Briana's lifeless body, watching as Sirius tried to calm his baby girl. He closed Briana's eyes with his hand as he noticed a small piece of parchment lying at his feet. James unfolded the parchment and read the single line written on it.

_Sacrifice is inherent to war._

James looked up and met Sirius' eyes. "Voldemort."

"I know." Sirius held his daughter firmly against him, his hand buried in the mass of her black hair. The same hair as her mother's. She sobbed uncontrollably in his shirt. "I've got you, sweetheart. I've got you."

* * *

_Two years later_

* * *

"Remus!" The call was followed by several frantic knocks. "Remus!"

Lupin hurried to his front door, recognizing the familiar voice. He put his hand on the doorknob and it swung his way more easily than he had expected, making him stagger.

"Finally, I've been knocking for ages!" Sirius rushed past him through the small hall and into the almost equally small living room. Lupin quickly closed the door.

"What's happened?" He asked, rushing after Sirius.

"James and Lily." Sirius turned to face him, his young daughter in his arms. "I need you to watch after Judy."

"Of course," said Lupin, "but what's happened?"

"I think Voldemort has found them…" said Sirius, laying the half asleep girl on the couch.

"What?" Lupin looked at him wide eyed. "But you're…"

"Please, I don't have time to explain, Remus." Sirius gave his daughter a quick kiss. "You be a good girl, OK?" The four year old nodded sleepily.

"But Sirius," Lupin rushed after him as Sirius walked back into the hallway. "I don't understand!"

"I'll explain later." Sirius opened the door and turned on his heel. "Promise me you will take care of her, Remus."

"Of course,-"

"Whatever happens." Lupin looked at his friend, confused.

"I promise…" Sirius cast him a small smile, turned and walked over the path to his parked motorcycle. Lupin looked after him as Sirius rose into the air and flew away into the night.

* * *

Lupin walked to his front door for the second time that night, expecting the frantic knock to belong to the same man he had admitted a few hours before.

"Now, will you tell me what's,-" Lupin's voice failed him as he stood facing Albus Dumbledore instead of Sirius Black. "Sir, I,-"

"It's all right, Remus," said Dumbledore, walking past him. "It's been a rough night for all of us."

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Lupin, following Dumbledore into the living room.

"Ah yes," Dumbledore walked over to the sleeping girl on the couch. "I had expected him to leave her with you. He'd never let any harm come to her."

"Sir…"

"Please, call me Albus, Remus."

"Albus," said Lupin somewhat uncomfortable. "What has happened?" Dumbledore looked at him, surprised.

"You don't know?" he asked gravely.

"Sirius said something about James and Lily, but,-"

"They are dead, Remus."

"They're dead?" asked Lupin in disbelief. "But how, when…?"

"Voldemort killed them a few hours ago," said Dumbledore, sitting on the small empty spot beside the sleeping girl.

"But the Fidelius Charm…" Lupin paused for a moment. "Sirius was their Secret Keeper…"

"I'm sorry, Remus," said Dumbledore honestly. "We all trusted Sirius." Lupin let himself fall into the chair behind him.

"But Sirius would never...are you sure, Albus?" He looked at Dumbledore, the hope in his heart crushed by the look in the other man's eyes.

"There is no other way…" Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes.

"What about Harry?" asked Lupin quickly.

"I left him at his aunt and uncle's about an hour ago," said Dumbledore. "The Killing Curse Voldemort shot at him backfired."

"Backfired?" asked Lupin confused. "But how…?"

"Lily died protecting her son," explained Dumbledore. "That leaves a strong mark."

Lupin nodded. "And Voldemort is…?"

"I don't know," said Dumbledore honestly. "He has disappeared…but whether he's dead….I suppose only time will tell." Lupin sighed and looked at the floor, his hands in his hair. Harry lived, he told himself repeatedly. But the thought didn't ease the pain of the loss of his friends.

"Now," said Dumbledore after a few minutes of silence, "we will have to decide what happens to this little one." Lupin looked up at him.

"I promised Sirius I'd take care of her," said Lupin slowly, "but I…you know I can't."

"I believe Briana and Sirius had some money put away for her," said Dumbledore. "And if necessary there is a fund at Hogwarts for,-"

"You know that is not the reason why I can't hold my promise, Albus." Lupin looked at the older wizard as he surveyed him over his half moon spectacles.

"Arrangements can always be made," said Dumbledore, "around every full moon."

Lupin looked at the headmaster of Hogwarts in disbelief. "But I can't raise a child!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," retorted Dumbledore. "You are the only person left which she can trust."

"What do you mean?"

"After tonight, Sirius Black will not only be sought after by Death Eaters…" explained Dumbledore. "The Ministry will be after him as well…and I'm afraid they won't hesitate to question his daughter about his whereabouts."

"But surely she'll be better off…"

"You are the only one left who knows of her existence, Remus," said Dumbledore, leaning forward. "Sirius' and Briana's choice to keep Judy a secret because of the war, may be the only thing that can save her life now. Her identity needs to be hidden from the wizarding world for as long as possible."

Lupin sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I care for her…very much." He looked at the little girl affectionately. "But…" Lupin sighed, he knew Dumbledore was right. He was the only person left to look after her, the only person left that she trusted. "This won't be easy…" Dumbledore smiled at him approvingly.

"Right choices seldom are, Remus" said Dumbledore, as he stroked the young girl's long dark hair. "Right choices seldom are."

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**OWLs and Quidditch**

It was a clear summer morning when Judy stepped out of the bedroom. She did her utmost to close the white wooden door as silently as she could. The morning sun bathed the landing in a warm glow. Judy followed the banister beside her with her fingers as she looked down at the light blue rug. She had always loved the light colours Willow's parents used to decorate their home. Dark colours had never been her favourite.

The young woman yawned as she tiptoed down the light wooden stairs. She hadn't gotten much sleep during the night. The adrenaline that had been raging through her for a month kept her up at night and on the verge of wakeness during the day. She didn't remember ever being so nervous for anything. But then again, OWL results only came once in your lifetime. She was sure hers would arrive any day now.

Her bright purple backpack stood at the bottom of the stairs. Judy already packed it the night before. She bent to pick it up and cast back her long black braid as she stood upright again. She tightened her blue vest over her favourite black T-shirt of the Irish Quidditch team. Her red wide jeans billowed around her ankles as she quietly continued her way to the living room, trying to avoid waking anybody in the house.

Judy had spent a whole week at her best friend's house. Lupin had asked her to with the full moon approaching, but now that it had come and gone, she couldn't wait to go back to her uncle again. Despite him taking the potions she made for him she knew how the full moon drained the energy out of him. He could use her help around the house.

'You have to be joking (!)' Judy's heart leapt. 'You can't leave, Jude!'

'I have to,' she whispered as she turned to face her best friend. 'Go back to bed, Will.'

'Like hell I will.' Willow walked up to her, stepping in the light of the rising sun, her long red hair glowing like a bright flame. 'Why are you leaving?'

'Homesick,' said Judy, she was only half-lying. 'Listen, I've had a great time and you'll thank your parents for me, won't you?'

'Yes of course,' Willow rolled her eyes. 'They'll be disappointed though.'

'I'll make it up to them.' Judy promised.

Willow smiled. 'You just can't stand being away from him, can you?' Judy cast her a small smile, thinking on the many times Willow had comfort her in the five years they had spent together at Hogwarts. She had never liked being away from Lupin.

'He's all I got left,' explained Judy as she preceded Willow into the living room and walked straight to the hearth. She stepped inside it and took a hand of Floo Powder.

'I guess this is goodbye then,' said Willow, looking at her. 'I'll be seeing you when I get back from holiday then?'

'Yeah, bring me back a Leprechaun?'

'May be later,' said Willow with a grin. 'When I'm of age I'll be able to stun them…then I'll bring you one back.'

'Have a good trip.'

'Thanks.' The two girls exchanged a smile. 'Remember to hold your breath,' said Willow warningly. Judy had emerged from a hearth coughing more than once.

'Lupin's house!' the dark haired girl called and threw the powder to the floor. A second later she was enwrapped by emerald flames and whirled around in what seemed nothingness until she stopped spinning and looked into Lupin's familiar living room.

Judy clapped the sooth of her clothes while still in the hearth and stepped into the small living room. There was no sound, Remus usually stayed in bed a little longer after a full moon.

Judy looked around. The faded wallpaper and equally faded furniture needed replacement, they had needed replacement for years. The young girl had often offered Lupin to take some money from her vault at Gringotts and redo at least the living room. He had always refused.

A soft purring made Judy turn to look at the doorway. Duncan, the black cat Lupin had given her six years ago, walked up to her. She bent to pick it up and blew gently in its soft fur.

'How is he?' asked Judy softly, looking the cat in his yellow eyes. He turned up his noise and leapt from her arms. Duncan had never taken a liking to Lupin, cats and werewolves weren't a good mix.

Judy walked to the stove and ignited it with a match, being only fifteen prohibited her from doing it with her wand. She didn't mind. Muggles didn't have a problem living without magic, why should she be different? She took a copper kettle out of a cabinet and filled it with water, the noise of the water on copper seemed to echo in the silent kitchen. She opened the cupboards and took out two tea cups when a few taps on the window drew her attention. Two barn owls looked at her.

Judy opened the window and put a Knut in the pouch of the owl carrying the Daily Prophet. She quickly took the paper and turned to the other owl. The owl hooted thankfully as Judy took two letters from his beak. Then both owls ruffled their feathers and took off in different directions. Judy left the window open as she walked to the kitchen table and sat down.

'Two letters from Hogwarts,' said Judy surprised as she checked the names and saw that only one was addressed to her. She quickly tore open the familiar envelope she had been waiting for for a month now.

Her eyes scanned the parchment quickly, not taking in anything due to the adrenaline rushing through her veins. After taking a deep breath she took a second, slower look.

* * *

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

...

Pass Grades: Outstanding (O), Exceeds expectations (E), Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades: Poor (P), Dreadful (D), Troll (T)

...

JUDY LILIAN BYRNE HAS ACHIEVED:

...

Ancient Runes...E

Transfiguration...E

Charms...E

History of Magic...A

Defence against the Dark Arts...O

Astronomy...E

Care of Magical Creatures...D

Herbology...A

Muggle Studies...A

Potions...O

* * *

'I got an 'Outstanding' in Potions?. ' Judy exclaimed in surprise.

'What did you expect then?' A familiar voice asked from the doorway. Lupin looked more wearied than she had ever seen him before. 'You're the best in your year at Potions…'

'Uncle, please…'

'Fine, fine,' he smiled, 'I'll drop it. By the way, I didn't expect to see you back for three days.'

'I was worried,' said Judy, 'how are you? You look terrible.'

'Thank you for that kind observation,' said Lupin with a forced smile. He walked over to her, leaning heavily on his cane. His skin was as grey and faded as his pyjamas.

'Didn't the potion work?' asked Judy anxious.

'You got an 'Outstanding' for Potions.' Lupin rolled his eyes. 'The potion worked fine.'

'Then why-?'

'I just need to catch up on some sleep and I'll be fine.' Lupin assured her as he sat down in front of her. 'Now to the important matter of the day…how did you do?' He looked at the piece of parchment in her hands.

'Passed nine of them,' answered Judy. 'I failed Care of Magical Creatures. And I got a few 'A' s but I'd expected that. I spent more time on studying the courses I'd need to be an Auror.'

'And you did better in those?' asked Lupin sarcastically. Judy knew he wasn't like her when it came to grades, a pass was a pass and a fail a fail to him.

'Got an 'O' for Defence against the Dark Arts as well,' said Judy with a smile at her uncle. Without his private teachings she'd never have gotten more than an 'A'.

Lupin took the piece of parchment from her. 'That's a beautiful list, Jude.'

'Thanks.' She got up and walked to the kitchen. 'What do you want for breakfast?' asked Judy as she poured the hot water from the kettle into two cups.

'Just some porridge,' said Lupin absently as he opened the second letter from Hogwarts. Judy poured milk in a steel pan and put it on the spot where the kettle had been before.

'Important?' asked Judy, as Lupin was completely taken up by the letter before him.

'Yes…quite.' He put the piece of parchment down and enchanted the cups of tea to float to the kitchen table. They each landed neatly on the dark wood. Lupin took up his cup, blew it quickly and took a sip.

'Well…?' Judy urged him.

'Well…I'm keeping this to myself for now.' Lupin looked back at her. Judy recognised defeat. 'So,' Lupin folded up his letter, 'what are your plans for-'

'Oy, Byrne!' Judy and Lupin started at the unfamiliar voice. They both turned to the place from where it originated, the hearth. 'Byrne!' Fred's mouth repeated, his face visible through a curtain of flames.

'Fred Weasley,' she rolled her eyes as she walked to the hearth, 'do you know what time it is?'

'Ah, you were probably up already studying for next school year.' He joked.

'Passed my OWLs…like to see you try…' retorted Judy amused.

'Yes well…we'll pass that bridge when we get there…' Fred smiled. 'Listen, are you doing anything today?'

'I was planning on staying in, why?' asked Judy apprehensively.

'Well, listen. Me and George wanted to practice some Quidditch today, but Ron…you know that younger brother of ours…well he got himself the flu and Mum can't get rid of it with her healing spells so he has to stay in bed for a couple of days.'

'I'm fifteen, Fred. I doubt I can do anything to make him better…can't do magic, remember? Though I could may be conjure up a potion…no wand waving so strictly no magic-'

'What? Oh no, I didn't mean it like that. Just meant to say we're a Keeper short…'

'Fred, you haven't been nicking your Dad's Firewhisky have you?' Judy arched a brow. 'Because it sounds like you want me to fall in for your brother.'

'Exactly, Jude. I knew you'd understand.' He beamed at her through the flames.

'Understand?' exclaimed Judy. 'You remember the last time I flew a broom, don't you?'

'Ah, you only fell off because that snowball of mine hit you in the face.' He grinned.

'I'm just saying there's a reason why I watch Quidditch from the sideline…'

'Byrne, you're good with a broom…in fact, George and I both thought of you to fall in for Ron.'

'Yeah well, I swore never to fly with you two again after that incident.' Judy reminded him. 'It took three weeks for that black eye to subdue!'

'Come on, Jude. Can't still be mad about that…we had a laugh, didn't we?'

'Only because I can't stay mad with you,' said Judy, affectionately. 'Listen, it's not that I don't want to help you out. But my uncle's not feeling well and-'

'Go.' Lupin said gently, Judy turned to face him.

'But-'

'It's your holiday…you should go out and have fun and not stay in to take care of me.'

'Remus-'

'Go,' said Lupin sternly. 'I'll go to bed, get some rest and you can take care of me when you get back.'

'Come on, Jude. He's not dying is he?' Fred joked. 'No offence, sir.'

'None taken.' Lupin waved his hand dismissively. 'You will hear from me if you hit a Bludger her way, of course.'

'Of course, sir,' said Fred gravely. 'We'll return her unharmed.'

'Do I have a say in this?' exclaimed Judy, half-amused.

'I daresay you don't,' grinned Fred. 'See you in an hour then, Jude? You'll need your breakfast before joining us…'

'The Burrow, right?' asked Judy uncertain. She had never been to the Weasleys before, she'd only heard them speak the name when they spoke of home at Hogwarts.

'That's right. See you soon then, Judy.' Fred's head spun and disappeared as the flames died.

'Well, that makes my question superfluous.' Lupin smiled.

Judy turned to face him. 'The milk!' Lupin made a quick flick with his wand to turn off the stove as the white foam reached the rim of the pan. 'Thanks, Remus.'

'You're welcome.' He yawned and rubbed his eyes. 'I think I'll head back to bed after breakfast.'

'You'd better,' said Judy warningly as she took two bowls out of the cupboard. 'And I'll put some essence of dittany on those scratches when I get back. Oh Remus, I really wish you'd just let me stay and take care of you.'

'I'll be fine,' assured Lupin. 'I just need some rest.' Judy walked over to him and put two bowls of porridge on the table. 'I didn't know you're good at Quidditch.'

'I can fly a broom,' corrected Judy. 'And I'm not afraid for a Quaffle or a Bludger heading straight toward me...doesn't mean I'm good at Quidditch. Just means Fred and George can practice their aim on me…'

'I hope you mean by aim, their aim on the hoops and not other players…' said Lupin seriously.

'I'm good at ducking…' offered Judy before closing her mouth over her spoon of porridge.

'I meant what I said about that Bludger…' said Lupin honestly.

'I'm sure Fred meant what he said too, about returning me unharmed,' said Judy with a smile. 'He never meant to hurt me with that snowball…he just tends to get a bit enthusiastic at times.'

'Does he?' asked Lupin amused.

'It's not like that, Remus.' Judy rolled her eyes. 'We're just friends, besides he's a year younger than me…'

'Yes, I see the problem there,' said Lupin sarcastically.

'Oh, shut up,' said Judy, half-laughing.

'Just trying to help.' Lupin blew on his porridge.

'Just wait till I do start dating…you'll lock me up in my room,' smiled Judy.

'I can't say that's unlikely.'

'I bet you can't.' They exchanged smiles.

* * *

Judy stood in the hearth, casting another look at Lupin.

'You sure you'll be alright?'

'Go,' said Lupin sternly. The young witch stepped out of the hearth, threw her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. She felt Lupin's smile against her face.

'Just rest, OK?'

'OK.' Lupin nodded.

'Bye.' Judy turned and stepped back into the hearth. She took a hand of Floo Powder and held it up before her.

'See you in a few hours,' said Lupin warmly.

'Yeah,' Judy smiled. 'The Burrow!' She called as she threw the powder on the floor. Emerald flames enwrapped her and took her past several living rooms before she landed on a hard floor. She coughed and patted herself on her chest. She had to learn to hold her breath longer…

'Ah, I hear you're here, Byrne.' Fred's voice approached her. Judy wiped the sooth of her clothes, trying to spill nothing on the rug before her. 'Don't worry about the ashes, my Mum can fix that with a flick of her wand.'

'I'd rather not mess up the living room as a first impression,' said Judy as she carefully stepped out of the hearth.

'Yeah, like you make a bad first impression.' Fred said sarcastically.

'I seem to remember being called several names by you and George before we got along,' retorted Judy.

'Well, we still call you names, Jude.' Fred grinned.

'You're a nightmare, Fred.'

'One does ones best.' He said proudly.

'That, one does.' George descended the stairs, wearing an old set of Quidditch robes. 'How are you, Byrne?' He took her hand and kissed the back of it, adding a ridiculously low bow to it.

'More a gentleman than your brother.' Judy smiled.

'Always.' George winked at her. 'So when do I get the pleasure for you to finally go on a date with me?' Fred laughed.

'You know that answer, George.' Judy played along.

'Ah yes…well, I have to warn you I've almost finished a spell to make pigs fly…'

'You're both a nightmare.' Judy rolled her eyes.

'Boys!' Mrs. Weasley walked down the stairs. 'Listen, I…oh hello.' She smiled at Judy. 'You must be Judy.'

'Yes. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley.'

'You too, dear.' Mrs. Weasley beamed at her. 'Heard a lot about you from Fred and George, of course.' Judy cast an uncertain look at the twins.

'All lies, I assure you.' Fred smiled. 'I'm going to put on my robes as well. Are you just wearing that, Jude?'

'Yeah, just some old stuff. Doesn't matter if it gets dirty or torn.'

'Good, because we don't intend to go easy on you,' said George darkly.

'George!' Mrs. Weasley scolded.

'It's alright Mrs. Weasley.' Judy assured her. 'I'll live.'

Mrs. Weasley smiled. 'Can I get you anything while Fred is getting ready, dear? Pumpkin juice or Gillywater?'

'Gillywater would be nice, thanks.' Judy took a moment to look around the Weasleys' living room. It was only slightly larger than Lupin's, but the difference between the way the rooms were decorated was as strong as night and day. Whereas Lupin's house was mostly filled with grey and faded colours, the Burrow seemed to house every colour in the world. The bright fluffy chairs and the many rugs on the floor, gave the room a very warm atmosphere. Judy couldn't help but feel right at home.

'So, how bad is Ron's flu?' asked Judy as she sat next to George at the kitchen table.

'Mum says it should take a while to clear on its own,' began George, 'he'll survive.'

'Here you go, dear.' Mrs. Weasley put down a Gillywater in front of her.

'Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.'

'How's your uncle?' asked George as he tied his shoes. 'Fred said he was ill.'

'He'll be fine. He just needs to rest a bit. I just hate leaving him alone…' said Judy honestly. 'I'd rather make a potion to make him feel better.'

'Oh yeah, Fred said you got your OWL results today. Passed everything, right? All 'O's I suppose?' He added with a grin.

'No, I got two of those. One for DADA and one for Potions. And I failed Care of Magical Creatures.'

'Snape gave you an 'O'?

'_Professor_ Snape, George.' Mrs. Weasley scolded, who apparently had been listening in on the conversation.

'Right,' said George absently as he still looked at Judy. Mrs. Weasley shook her head as she headed out to the garden.

'Well, it's not really Sn-, I mean Professor Snape giving the grades is it? I got it from a Ministry examination. I don't think Sn-, Professor Snape would have given me more than an 'A'. He hates me.'

'He hates everybody that's not in Slytherin.' George retorted.

'Are you talking about Snape?' Judy turned as she recognized the deep voice behind her.

'It's _Professor_ Snape, Charlie,' said George sternly, looking at his older brother.

'Not to me anymore,' said Charlie amused. 'Don't believe we've met.' Charlie held out his hand to her.

'No, ehm…I'm Judy, Judy Byrne.' She hoped she hid her nervousness with the smile she cast him. After all, it wasn't every day that you met one of Hogwarts' best Seekers.

'Charlie Weasley.' Charlie smiled down at her. 'So, you're going to be our Keeper today?'

'I'm going to give it a try.' Judy offered, turning back to her Gillywater.

'You never played Quidditch before?' asked Charlie, sounding disappointed. Judy's heart sank.

'She's better than she's letting on.' George interjected. 'Fred and I have played with her a couple of times at Hogwarts, you know for fun.'

'Funny that I haven't seen you around the stadium then,' mused Charlie.

'You're joking.' Fred approached them in his robes. 'Judy's at every Quidditch match. You must have heard her at least once.' Judy wished she could do some magic to keep her cheeks from turning scarlet. 'She was always cheering the loudest with that girl with the weird hair colours.'

'Oh, Tonks!' Charlie exclaimed as he suddenly remembered. 'Hufflepuff, she was in my year. Yeah, I remember her. Bit of a clumsy girl, drove Snape mad because she broke like twenty phials a year. Nice to talk to, though. What's she up to these days?'

'She's training to be an Auror.' Judy said quietly, trying to hide her face for as long as it took her cheeks to stop feeling warm.

'That's what you wanna do too, right Jude?' asked Fred.

'Yeah.' She nodded, her face still hidden behind the curtain of her raven black hair.

'Not feeling sick, are you Jude?' asked George sounding a bit worried.

'No, I'm fine.' She looked up, her cheeks were feeling less hot than before. 'Just a bit nervous I'll get hit in the face by something again,' said Judy, somehow managing to return to her old self again. It seemed to help that Charlie couldn't remember her.

'Promised your uncle I wouldn't hit a Bludger your way.' Fred reminded her.

'True…but that doesn't mean George won't give it a go, and I do not consider it unlikely that you had your fingers crossed behind your back when you made that promise,' said Judy with a smile.

'She knows us too well.' George said to Fred.

'We should be more careful around her.' Fred agreed.

'How about some less talk and more Quidditch?' offered Charlie as he already headed for the garden.

'Come on, Byrne.' Fred took her hand and led her out of the kitchen. 'Time to play some decent Quidditch.'

'Decent?' Judy arched a brow.

'Well, Quidditch anyway.' George smiled at her.

Ten minutes later the four of them stood in the orchard and mounted their brooms. Judy braided her long black hair in what must have been record time. Then she kicked off hard from the ground, coming to the same height as the Weasleys who were already hovering in the air. Judy flew around the small pitch a couple of times to get used to the broom she had borrowed from them. She hadn't flown for over a month, not having her own broom outside of school. Nonetheless she got used to being in the air again within seconds and sped up during her last round around the pitch.

'Don't get yourself injured, Byrne,' said Fred amused as he watched her.

'You know me, Fred,' smiled Judy, flying to the three improvised hoops.

'Why do you think he's warning you?' George laughed. Charlie looked at Judy apprehensively, making her wish she hadn't come along at all.

'First some practice shots, I think?' Fred threw the Quaffle to George. 'Charlie can try and catch the Snitch while we practice.'

Judy watched as Charlie let the golden ball fly away from him and then started chasing it around the orchard.

'Ready, Byrne?' George smiled at her. Judy pulled up to the three goals the Weasleys had improvised from iron hoops.

'Ready when you are, George.' She smiled at him, it felt good being in the air again.

George flew back a few yards and then turned. He flew towards Judy, making a few moves to the left and right, trying to unnerve her. Judy took a deep breath as she focused on his eyes darting from the right hoop to the left, but lingering a little longer on the right…George threw the Quaffle at the right hoop and Judy caught it with her right hand.

'Not bad,' George said approvingly. 'You were doing the eye thing again, weren't you?'

'As always. And you forgot about it again, didn't you?' Judy smiled as she threw the Quaffle at Fred, who immediately flew away with it.

'As always,' said George. Judy turned her eyes to Fred as he came flying towards her, darting even more than George. He threw the Quaffle at her, before she realized where he aimed and she missed catching it by inches. Judy flew to the ground and picked up the large ball.

'Too fast for you, wasn't I?' Fred smiled.

'Don't worry, I'll catch it next time,' said Judy, throwing the Quaffle to George again.

The twins continued throwing the Quaffle at her, Charlie flying in and out of the pitch as he chased the Snitch. After he had caught it three times, Fred called it was time for their practice with the Bludger. They split up in two teams, consisting of one Chaser and one Beater. Judy teamed up with Fred, Charlie with George.

Judy didn't find it easy to serve as both Chaser and Keeper at the same time. Charlie had managed to pass her and score five times till she got the hang of it. Fortunately Fred proved to be a good team mate, preventing a Bludger from knocking her off her broom twice and telling George to take it easy, no doubt thinking about Lupin's comment earlier.

Judy darted past Charlie several times, though he was able to stop her about half the time that she shot at the hoops. He would have been a good Keeper as well in her opinion, though being Seeker was obviously his specialty. When Mrs. Weasley called them in for lunch, it was one hundred to eighty and Judy and Fred had only lost by twenty points.

'Not bad for a rookie.' George walked up to Judy as she descended her broom. He clapped her on the back as if she couldn't have done worse.

'Well, could have been worse…' Judy returned the gesture and Fred laughed.

'You're staying for lunch, right?' Fred asked, walking beside her.

'I don't know,' she hesitated.

'Mum's probably counted on you anyway,' offered Fred.

'Yeah, you can't leave now, Judy,' agreed George. 'Besides, may be we can practice a bit more after lunch.'

'Well, I really don't want to stay too long,' said Judy honestly, thinking about Lupin lying in bed at home.

'That's too bad, I wanted to practice catching the Snitch with an opponent,' Charlie said as he caught up with them. 'You're not a bad flyer, Judy.' Judy quickly looked at the ground as her skin burned.

'Ah, Charlie you're making her blush,' laughed George. Judy wished she would have stayed home for the second time that day.

'Nonsense, if she can endure us, it'll take more to make her blush.' Fred smiled at her. Judy hoped the colour had subdued again and took a deep breath.

'An hour long enough, Charlie?' asked Judy, somehow able to make her voice sound casual. 'I really want to be back home around two.'

'Perfect.' Charlie cast her a thankful smile and preceded the three of them into the house.

'Yes, absolutely splendid.' George winked at her.

'Indeed, marvellous.' Fred sad jovially, as Judy preceded him inside. They walked to the sink to wash up and when they turned Judy noticed two of the seven seats at the table were already taken.

Percy Weasley, who was now in his seventh year sat at the end of the table, looking as haughty as ever. He got up from the table and shook Judy's hand, introducing himself.

'Percy Weasley. Good to see you again, Miss Byrne.'

'You too…' Judy said, somewhat uncomfortable at the way Percy addressed her.

'Would you like to take a seat, Miss Byrne?' Fred imitated Percy as he held back a chair for her. Percy scowled at him.

'Thanks, Fred.' Judy sat down and smiled at the red haired girl in front of her.

'Hi, I'm Ginny.'

'Nice to meet you, Ginny. I'm Judy.'

'I know. Fred and George have told me about you.' Judy looked at the twins.

'Again, all lies,' said George as he sat down beside her. Fred took the seat next to George.

'But you said you liked her and that she was really cool and-'

'Nah, we couldn't have said that, could we George?' said Fred, looking genuinely confused.

'You forgot she's good at Quidditch,' said Charlie as he sat down next to Judy. Judy looked at her plate as her lips curled into a smile.

'Everybody here?' asked Mrs. Weasley as she walked into the living room.

'Ron's still missing,' said George.

'But you don't have to send out a search party on our account,' added Fred quickly.

'Your brother is having his lunch in bed. I don't want any of you to catch the flu too,' said Mrs. Weasley as she walked to the stove. She took up a big pot and put it down in the middle of the table. 'Would you like some soup, dear?' Mrs. Weasley smiled at Judy.

'Yes, please.' She handed her deep plate to Mrs. Weasley, who filled it with two ladles of soup and handed it back to her.

'So, Judy,' Percy began as they all started eating, 'got your OWL results yet?'

'Ehm, yes. I passed nine courses out of ten.' She blew on the hot liquid on her spoon.

'Good grades, I suppose?' He looked at her over his horned rimmed glasses. 'Ravenclaws usually do tend to have the best grades.'

'You know that we still have over a month worth of holiday before we go back to school?' interjected Fred. 'I'd like to spend mine having fun and not talking about OWLs.'

'It's not bad if you'd pay a little more attention to your future,' said Mrs. Weasley. 'Do you know what courses you are going to take, dear?'

'Everything I'll need to be an Auror and I'm thinking on continuing Ancient Runes, History of Magic and Astronomy.'

'So basically you don't want any spare time in your timetable?' asked George amused.

'Like you didn't expect that, I thought you two knew me by now.' Judy arched brow at them. 'Besides, if I don't have enough time for my Auror courses I can always drop a course, but I want to try to get my NEWTs in all of them. And it's not like I'm keeping all my courses, I'm dropping Muggle studies and Care of Magical creatures.'

'You don't like Care of Magical creatures?' asked Charlie, sounding, again, disappointed. Judy wasn't sure her heart could sink any lower.

'Well, it's not that I don't like it, it's more…I'm not very gifted with magical creatures,' said Judy apologetically. 'Only magical creature I managed to treat right was a Flobberworm.' Charlie laughed, which lifted her spirits somewhat.

'I suppose you do have to have a knack for it,' admitted Charlie.

They talked on, quickly growing tired of the subject of Hogwarts and turning to Quidditch which especially the twins, Charlie and Judy were interested in. Mrs. Weasley had other interests however, and prodded when Ginny would clean out her room. Ginny left the table ten minutes later, scowling. Percy remained hidden behind the Daily Prophet during the rest of lunch. Fred told Judy he read it about three times a day, making sure he hadn't missed any news.

'Shall we then?' asked Charlie, getting up as he had finished.

Judy followed him outside back to the orchard, hoping not to still make a fool of herself. She looked over her shoulder as Fred and George caught up with them.

'Can't perform without an audience, can you?' asked Fred, coming up to Judy's side.

'We've got no cheers to match yours of course,' said George. Judy wished he wouldn't keep reminding Charlie of how she acted during a match. 'But we will give it our bests.'

'Certainly,' agreed Fred.

Charlie looked at the two of them. 'Just don't distract her too much, all right?'

'Oooooh,' Fred and George said together, both grinning. Judy wished she would be home again, for the third time that day.

'I just want to be able to practice decently,' explained Charlie as he unlocked the Snitch from their Quidditch trunk.

'Yes, of course,' Fred beamed. 'Yes, we'll behave, right George?'

'We will if he will,' said George in a whisper that either didn't carry to Charlie or which he chose to ignore. Judy was putting every effort into keeping her cheeks from turning scarlet again.

Charlie opened his hand and the Snitch immediately took off, skidding from left to right and up in the air.

'Ready, Byrne?' asked Charlie, glancing sideways at her.

'Ready.' She nodded, firming the grip on her broom. She couldn't believe she had agreed to practice with the best Seeker Hogwarts had seen in over a decade. She was bound to fall off her broom or crash into a tree.

'Go!' Charlie kicked off hard from the ground and he must have been ten feet up before Judy realised he had gone. She kicked off as well and soared up into the air, flying around the small pitch and scanning the sky for the Snitch. When she finally had caught sight of a glimpse of gold, Charlie was already chasing it. Nonetheless she tried to catch up with him but he had caught it before she had even drawn up half way.

'One-nil to Charlie,' said George from below. 'Come on, Jude you can take him.'

'Yeah, try and kick him off his broom,' called Fred. Judy smiled.

'Another go then?' asked Charlie as he drew up next to her, the Snitch in his hands.

'Sure…' said Judy softly, knowing her second effort was bound to be as bad as her first. Charlie opened his hand and let the Snitch escape again.

'Try not to focus too much on one point,' said Charlie and flew in the direction the Snitch had gone to. Judy followed him. She scanned the pitch again, peering through the orchard trees in case the Snitch had taken off to there. She saw a speck of gold, fluttering between the leaves and flew toward it. Charlie spun around as she flew past him and followed her.

'Come on, Jude!' called Fred and George, cheering her on. 'Use his weight against him!'

Judy realised they had a point, it was much easier for her to dash between the trees than Charlie. She followed the Snitch, darting from left to right, Charlie cursing behind her as he flew into a branch. She stretched out her hand but missed as she tried to grab the little golden ball. A small golden wing brushed her hand as the Snitch turned direction and flew back toward the small pitch.

Judy turned around and flew after it as hard as she could, Charlie was speeding up in front of her, chasing the Snitch out of the orchard. Her hopes for winning were crushed, Charlie was faster than her in the open.

'Come on, Byrne!' called Fred as Judy soared out of the orchard.

She bent lower over her broom in an effort to gain on Charlie. He stretched his hand toward the golden ball…and caught it. Judy pulled on the handle of her broom to come to a halt.

'Two-nil,' George shook his head. 'Another one and I'm asking my money back…' Fred nodded in agreement. Judy avoided their gazes.

'That wasn't bad,' Charlie pulled up next to her.

'It wasn't good enough,' said Judy, looking at the Snitch in Charlie's hands.

'May be another try?' offered Charlie with a smile.

'You sure you don't want to quit while you're ahead?' asked Judy with a small smile.

'Oy! You're supposed to be competing!' called Fred.

'You know, I can silence them with a spell…' He pointed at Fred and George looking up at them. Judy laughed.

'But then I won't hear them cheering when I catch the Snitch from under your nose…' Judy's heart leapt at the grin on Charlie's face.

'All right, Byrne.' Charlie opened his hand and the Snitch quickly flew away from them. 'Then let's see what you're made of.'

'All right,' said Judy as she already chased after the golden ball. Charlie followed her a few seconds later.

They spent the next hour chasing the Snitch, catching it, and releasing it once more. Fred and George were about to go back to the house by the time Judy finally managed to beat Charlie to the golden ball. It had flown through the orchard again and she had used the advantage of her lean body compared to Charlie's broad shoulders. Fred and George's cheers had only grown louder since that moment.

'One more?' Charlie flew up to her, Judy looked at the tiny golden wings in her right hand. She had managed to catch the Snitch for the third time.

'I have to go home,' said Judy with a hint of regret. She'd rather enjoyed spending time with Charlie. 'My uncle is ill and he's been alone half the day already.' The thought of Lupin lying sick in bed felt like a cold knife of guilt through her heart.

'I understand,' said Charlie as they flew to the ground. 'Thanks for practicing with me, though. You're a good flier.'

'Glad I could help,' smiled Judy, knowing Charlie was exaggerating about her abilities, but not minding it one bit.

'Had enough, Charlie?' said Fred as he and George walked toward them.

'Yeah, you don't want to be losing to a girl…' agreed George. Judy arched a brow at him.

'You mean like you lost to Willow?' asked Judy with a smile.

'That was different,' defended George.

'Yeah, she wouldn't snog you if you didn't let her win,' said Judy with a grin.

'Whereas you'll snog Charlie anytime?' said George. Judy didn't laugh, her cheeks felt burning hot.

'That's not funny, George,' said Charlie, in a would be casual tone. Fred and George exchanged a glance. 'I'm going to put these away.' Charlie gathered the brooms and quickly walked to the shed.

'I've got to get home,' said Judy in a whisper, turning to follow Charlie.

'You'll come back though won't you?' asked Fred, walking to her left. George walked on her other side.

'You two just don't know what to do without me, do you?' asked Judy, feeling more at ease now Charlie was out of ear shot.

'True,' said George, 'but it's not like that. See, Charlie is going back to Romania in a week and Ron's bound to be sick till that time-'

'and we'd like to get some more practice with Charlie around before he leaves,' finished Fred. 'You know he was Hogwarts' best Seeker since ages, it'd be a shame if we couldn't do another game before he leaves.'

'And you can't possibly do this without me, because…'

'We'll need four players,' explained George, 'come on Jude, you had a good time today, didn't you?'

'It's not that…' said Judy honestly, her thoughts drifting to Lupin again.

'I'm sure you're uncle won't mind,' said Fred quickly.

'Oh he won't,' said Judy with a small smile, 'but I will.'

'You care about him a lot, don't you?' asked George as they walked into the house.

'He's all I got, George,' said Judy honestly.

'Then just see how he's feeling,' said George, 'if he's feeling better within the week may be you can still drop by.'

'We'll see.' Judy picked up her bright yellow coat and slipped into it.

'Good,' said Fred and George together.

'Thank Charlie from me for a good game, OK?' said Judy, stepping into the hearth.

'You sure you don't want to do that yourself?' Fred grinned.

'A nightmare,' Judy rolled her eyes. She took a hand full of Floo Powder. 'Bye guys.'

'Bye,' smiled Fred.

'Bye, Byrne,' said George. Judy threw down the Powder called out the name of her uncle's house, and whirled around in the emerald flames again. She got a short look into several living rooms before the spinning ended and she stood in the hearth of the small living room again. It was as deserted as it had been that morning.

Judy clapped the soot of her clothes, realizing that she had managed to hold her breath long enough not to cough. She headed for the stairs and took two steps at a time, now only noticing how the faded wallpaper in the hall also needed replacement. She would have to have a long discussion with Lupin to convince him to take the money from her vault at Gringotts. With Lupin being a werewolf he never had been able to get a decent job in the wizarding world. Judy's inheritance was all they had.

Judy stopped at Lupin's bedroom door, not hearing his usual snoring. She knocked twice and Lupin's hoarse voice immediately told her to enter.

'Sorry I'm late,' she walked into the small bedroom. Judy decided she would also convince Lupin to buy some new paint for his bedroom.

'Did you enjoy yourself?'

'Yes,' she said, walking around the bed and looking down at him. It comforted her to see he looked less tired than that morning. 'Did you sleep well?'

'I think I woke about half an hour ago,' he pushed himself up to sit against the headboard of his bed. 'Did you win?' asked Lupin with a smile that lightened his pale features.

'Almost,' smiled Judy, Lupin faked disappointment. 'In my defence, I was playing against three Gryffindor Quidditch players.'

'Three?' asked Lupin confused.

'Charlie Weasley was at the Burrow too,' explained Judy. 'He's visiting, but he's going back to Romania at the end of the week. He's studying dragons there.'

'Ah yes, Gryffindor's best Seeker since a decade?'

'I think he's the best Seeker Hogwarts has had since James Potter,' said Judy honestly.

'You're way too young to know that,' Lupin arched a brow.

'Knowing what you've told me about James' skills, I don't think I'm wrong,' said Judy.

'Perhaps…you know, it was James who took you on your first flight on a broom?' said Lupin affectionately. 'I think you were about two and half years old then.'

'That sounds like uncle James,' smiled Judy, 'I bet aunt Lily loved that.'

'Lily's reaction wasn't all that bad…well compared to your father's anyway,' said Lupin with a smile. 'He was always protective of you after your mother…well…'

'was murdered,' finished Judy. 'It's all right, Remus. I mean, it's been almost fourteen years since mom died.' They looked at each other in silence. 'Everything changed then didn't it?' asked Judy softly.

'Things often do when some one dies,' said Lupin, eyeing her warily.

'Well, we still have each other, right?' Judy exchanged a smile with Lupin. 'I'll go get started on that dittany. Do you want me to bring you some tea?'

'I'll come down,' he cast back the blankets. 'I've slept enough for one day.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw**

Four days after her return to Lupin's house, Judy stood in the small vegetable garden beside the cottage where she and Lupin lived. She watered the almost withering tomatoes and green beans. For as long as she could remember she had tended to the vegetable patch beside the small house. This summer however, Judy hadn't taken very good care of her plants. With the full moon affecting Lupin more than it had in years and his wish for her to stay with Willow during several periods, she didn't have much time to spare to tend to the garden. Playing Quidditch with her two best mates wasn't contributing in a positive way either.

Judy walked over to the dark wooden fence and leaned on her elbows as she looked over the vast field in front of her. There weren't any houses around them for miles. For as long as she could remember she had lived here with Lupin. Far outside of London where Willow lived with her parents…far away from questioning eyes and disapproving looks at Lupin's shabby appearance and pale features.

The sun still stood low in the sky, though it was almost noon. Judy savoured the sunrays touching her skin, allowing them to warm her from both without as within. She sighed as she looked at the grass before her, overgrown with weeds. It reminded her of the Burrow's garden, overgrown and at the same time the most beautiful garden she had ever seen.

Judy looked at the large oak tree, just behind the fence. Some of its leaves were already turning yellow and orange among a mass of bright green. She couldn't help but think of the orchard in which she had flown a few days before…and the man she had flown alongside. For a moment she felt the happiest she had ever felt in her life, the next second her heart plummeted as she thought of how surreal her thoughts were.

Charlie Weasley had cast her a few smiles, and though the mere thought of those smiles was enough to make her blush, she knew deep down that a smile really said nothing. He had welcomed her as a friend of Fred and George and wouldn't think anything more or less of her. But despite those real thoughts, she couldn't help but dream, as she looked up at the bright blue sky.

'Judy?' she turned as Remus walked up to her.

'Yes?' Her heart felt lighter as she noticed how the colour had returned to his face. He even hadn't brought his cane with him. She couldn't remember a time when he had had a faster recovery from a full moon.

'I made us some soup for lunch,' said Lupin, looking past her at the field and he took a deep breath. 'It's a lovely day, isn't it?'

'Yes, it is,' Judy smiled at him. 'I don't think we'll be getting much of those this year,' said Judy apologetically as she looked at the small patch of vegetables. Lupin turned to follow her gaze. 'I haven't really tended to the plants well enough.'

'That's all right,' said Lupin with a small smile. 'We'll make do.'

Judy smiled back at him, thinking on the many times when they had had a lack of something and Lupin had said exactly the same. He'd never been wrong. The young witch preceded Lupin inside the small cottage and walked to the kitchen. Lupin sat down at the already set table where steam rose from two identical dark bowls opposite each other.

'It smells good,' said Judy as she washed her hands. Lupin smiled at her as she sat down opposite him.

'So,' said Lupin. 'Have you got any other plans for today besides working in the garden?'

'Not really. I thought I might reread some of last year's books. You know, to refresh my memory.'

'I see,' said Lupin, not hiding his concern about her preference for solitude. 'How about you invite Willow over?'

'She's going on holiday to Ireland tomorrow. I think she'll be too busy packing,' said Judy honestly. 'Don't worry about me Remus, I'll be fine. You know me.'

'What about Fred and George?' asked Lupin quickly.

'What about us?' Both Lupin and Judy jerked their heads to the direction of the familiar voices. The fireplace.

Judy took a deep breath in an effort to slow down her heart rate as she walked over to the hearth. 'Why, you two…'

'I think we scared her,' said Fred through a curtain of flames.

'Serves her right,' said George, whose head was visible beside Fred's. 'She was talking about us behind our backs.'

'That's only because she can't get enough of us,' said Fred with a grin.

'Yes, I suppose we can't blame her,-'

'You two finished?' asked Judy, looking down on them with her hands on her hips. 'Now the next time you give me a heart attack,-'

'Ah, come on Jude,' said Fred. 'We didn't mean to scare you.'

'Yes,' agreed George, 'we only wanted to surprise you.'

'And we succeeded,' added Fred, looking up at her.

'Yes, you did,' said Judy more softly, never being able to stay angry with the twins for a long time. 'So, to what do I owe this pleasure?'

'Quidditch!' said the twins together. Judy's heart leapt.

'Guys-' said Judy gently.

'What do you mean Quidditch?' asked Lupin interested.

'Well sir, you see,' said Fred in the most polite voice Judy had ever heard him take on. 'Judy owes us a Quidditch match.'

'With your permission of course,' added George quickly.

'Wait a minute, I don't owe you a Quidditch match…' said Judy.

'Sounds like fun,' cut Lupin across her. 'And the weather conditions couldn't be more perfect.'

'Exactly, sir,' said Fred. 'So you see why she can't refuse.'

'Absolutely,' agreed Lupin.

'You know, you're as bad as they are,' said Judy as she met Lupin's eyes. The smile on his face caused her own lips to curl up as well.

'Come on Byrne,' said Fred.

'Fine. Ten minutes,' said Judy, looking down on him. 'And you both owe me after this one.'

'Great, we'll tell Charlie you're coming,' said George with a sparkle in his eyes that made Judy blush.

'All right, bye,' said Judy quickly, trying to prevent any other comments to reach Lupin's ears.

'Bye Jude,' said the twins in unison and their heads spun out of sight.

'Can you believe those two?' laughed Judy, turning back to Lupin and seeing him smile at her. 'What?'

'Nothing,' he shook his head, the smile didn't fade.

Judy walked past him and squeezed his shoulder gently, knowing he was happy that she would be spending the day with friends. He never liked seeing her alone. Judy thought his own life of solitude drove him to spare her from such a life.

She rushed up the stairs and into her room, where she stopped dead next to her bed. Her black cat Duncan lay sprawled on her bedspread, he looked at her lazily before stretching his limbs and trying to get back to sleep. The young woman smiled and searched the pile of clothes at the end. She looked up as a ray of sunlight fell through her orange curtains, bathing her navy blue walls in a warm glow. She had changed her old yellow walls to the Ravenclaw colours as soon as she had come back from her first year at Hogwarts.

Judy picked a battered pair of baggy jeans from the pile and quickly slipped into an old shirt of the Irish Quidditch team. She took a small black hair band to fasten the long black braid which she had made, again in record time. She rushed down the stairs again, grabbing an old pair of blue sneakers on her way down. She dropped them to the ground next to the kitchen table and quickly slipped in to them.

'There,' she cast her long black braid back over her shoulder. 'I should be back in a couple of hours.'

'You take all the time you need,' said Lupin with a grin. 'I may go for a walk outside myself. The sun should do me good,' he said brightly.

'You should do that,' said Judy, happy to see her uncle in such a good mood. 'I'll see you later,' Judy kissed his cheek and walked to the hearth. She took a handful of Floo Powder and cast it down as she called the name of her destination. 'The Burrow!'

Within a few seconds she spun around in the big hearth in the Weasley's living room. She took her time clapping the sooth of her clothes before stepping into the room. The sunrays falling through the colourful curtains, made the room look even warmer than a few days ago.

'Fred?' asked Judy hesitantly, the living room seemed to be deserted. 'George?'

'They're upstairs,' her heart leapt at the sound of the deep voice behind her, 'they should be ready in a minute.'

Judy turned around to meet Charlie's eyes. 'Well, I'll just wait here then.'

'It's real nice of you to fill in for Ron,' said Charlie, smiling.

'That's what friends are for, right?' offered Judy, not meeting his eyes, because she already felt her cheeks growing warm.

'Yes,' said Charlie softly. 'Listen, can I get you anything? Pumpkin juice or,-'

'No, I'm fine,' said Judy, wishing the twins would come rushing down the stairs before she would say anything stupid.

'So…' said Charlie somewhat hesitantly. It struck Judy as odd to see a big guy as him insecure. 'You support the Irish?' He looked at her shirt.

'Best ones out there, aren't they?' said Judy with a smile. 'Though the Bulgarians aren't bad either. But that's only because they got Krum. I think the Irish can beat them.'

'Well, they're both doing well in the qualification rounds. May be they'll have to play each other in the World Cup next year. Then you'll see whether you're right or not.'

'May be,' smiled Judy, feeling more relaxed than before. She'd so far managed to talk to Charlie alone without making a fool of herself as she usually did with guys.

'Oy Charlie, not intimidating my team mate, are you?' Fred leapt down the last few steps.

'Your team mate?' asked Charlie. 'I don't believe we've picked teams yet.'

'Oh, you want to team up with her then?' asked Fred with a smile.

'You can't be that desperate to lose,' said George, walking down the stairs. 'Fred and I together are unbeatable you know.'

'Unbeatable?' Charlie arched a brow.

'Unbeatable,' agreed Fred with a grin.

'We'll see about that, won't we Judy?' said Charlie, casting her a smile which made her heart leap.

'All right, come on then,' said Fred quickly. 'You two,' he looked at Judy and Charlie, 'against us.'

Judy followed the Weasleys outside, not at all bothered by the fact that no one had asked her opinion.

Thirty minutes later they soared around the small pitch trying to throw the Quaffle through each other's hoops. Fred gave George a hive five as they scored their third goal. Judy and Charlie had managed to score three as well.

'Sorry,' said Judy, throwing the Quaffle to Charlie.

'Don't worry,' Charlie cast her a smile. 'We'll beat them. Come on.' Judy followed him as he flew toward the twins' goalposts, staying a little behind in case Fred or George managed to take the Quaffle.

'Remember our first game against Hufflepuff?' called Fred to George.

'I'm right behind you!' called George, following his twin brother.

Judy's mind was racing. Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff…first game in her third year. She looked at Fred and George and recognized the way they were flying toward their brother. It was the same attack two of Hufflepuff's chasers had made on Angelina Johnston. Wood had been free, if only she had thrown the Quaffle toward him….Judy took a deep breath.

'Charlie! Throw it to me!' called Judy. Charlie threw her the Quaffle only a second before Fred made to grasp it from his hands. Judy caught it, flew to the unguarded hoops and threw the ball through the middle one.

'Four to three, boys!' grinned Judy as she flew past Fred.

'She knows too much about this game,' muttered George to Fred as Judy flew back toward her own goal hoops. Judy smiled as Charlie reached her side and hovered beside her.

'Good one, Byrne,' said Charlie approvingly. 'I didn't see that one coming.'

'You were busy looking for the Snitch during your games. I've seen them all from the sideline, I know their moves as long as they say them out loud,' explained Judy. 'They're coming again.' Fred and George flew toward them.

'One more goal and we win,' said Charlie, flying forward to meet the twins. Judy followed him, lagging more behind than before. Fred and George were flying fast.

'Slytherin versus Hufflepuff, third year!' said George to Fred. Judy dug into her memories again. George and Fred's third year, would be her fourth…it was the fourth game of the season…it was late winter, early spring and…she had the flu. Her heart sank, she had no idea what was coming.

Charlie flew to Fred, who was holding the Quaffle. He made to grasp it from his younger brother's reach, but just as he moved Fred threw the Quaffle high in the air toward George. The other twin caught it and sped up as he flew toward Judy. Charlie tried but couldn't keep up.

Judy took a deep breath, her eyes on George speeding toward her. A movement in the corner of her eye told her Fred was on her left. George threw the Quaffle to Fred, Judy turned around to face him. He quickly threw the Quaffle toward her, but before she could catch it, it slightly changed direction. George caught it and threw it through the free right hoop.

'Can't know them all, Jude,' said Fred, flying back to his own half. Judy cast him a small smile. Neither can you, she thought amused.

Charlie flew toward her. 'I'm sorry, I-'

'Charlie, Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Your seventh year. Wood and Johnston fooled that Slytherin chaser about ten minutes before you caught the Snitch,' whispered Judy.

'I remember that, I saw that because it was right after Alicia Spinnet was hit by that Bludger. It distracted me from the Snitch, because her nose was bleeding so badly…'

'Good, you're Wood and I'm Johnston, all right?' She took the Quaffle from him.

'But won't Fred and George know…'

'They were in detention with Filch during that game,' smiled Judy. Charlie grinned at her. Judy recalled how two Gryffindors, whose name she couldn't even remember, had substituted for the twins. Slytherin won, despite some good attacks from Gryffindor. Of which one she would use against the twins now.

Judy flew toward the twins. Charlie was a few meters behind her. The twins acted as expected and flew toward Judy, who threw the Quaffle to Charlie behind her. Fred continued covering her as George flew to Charlie. The latter sped up, passed George and headed for Fred.

Fred turned his gaze toward Charlie and flew back to the hoops. George turned and speeded toward his twin. Charlie was being cornered by his younger brothers as he flew forward toward the hoops. He threw the Quaffle toward Judy. She only had to catch the ball and throw it straight ahead through the free right hoop.

Judy saw too late that Charlie's aim had been a little off and he had thrown the Quaffle too far ahead. She sped up in an effort to still catch it, her eyes fixed on Fred who had just noticed her. It was too late, if she could reach the Quaffle, Fred would never be able to stop her and…CRASH.

* * *

'You boys should have been more careful!' Mrs. Weasley's voice seemed to echo through Judy's head.

'We were, Mum!' said Fred. 'She flew into the goalpost. There was nothing we could do!'

Judy opened her eyes, the sunlight nearly blinding her. George looked down at her, more worried than she had ever seen him. She wasn't outside anymore. She recognized the living room of the Burrow. The hearth stood opposite her and she realized she was lying on something soft, a sofa.

'Did we win?' asked Judy hoarsely, adding a smile to make him feel more at ease.

'Yes, you won,' smiled George.

'Is she awake?' Fred appeared next to him within a heartbeat. 'Are you all right?'

'I think I'm,' she tried to sit up but stopped as her head swam with dizziness, 'OK, may be fine is an overstatement.'

'Come on, give her some room,' said Mrs. Weasley sternly. 'How are you feeling, dear?'

'Dizzy,' she said honestly. 'What exactly happened?'

'You flew into the goalpost,' said George, 'you were too taken up by Fred to see where you were headed. Which is quite understandable of course,-'

'George!' scolded Mrs. Weasley.

Judy laughed, which caused her dizziness to worsen again. 'Oh, that wasn't a good idea.' She put her hand on her forehead and felt a large lump above her right eye.

'Can't you do anything about it, Mum?' asked Fred worried.

'I think I've got something in my healing spell book,' said Mrs. Weasley as she got to her feet and went up the stairs.

'We're really sorry, Jude,' said Fred.

'Don't worry about it,' said Judy honestly. 'I'm just glad we won,' she paused, 'where's Charlie anyway?'

'Outside,' said Fred bitterly.

'And as far as I'm concerned he can stay there,' added George sourly.

'Why? What's happened?'

'Went totally mad when you fell to the ground. Said it was all our fault, which isn't exactly fair…I mean, there was nothing we could have done, right?' asked Fred.

'Right,' said Judy truthfully. 'You can't help I'm totally smitten with you and forget to pay attention to what's in front of me.' Fred laughed.

'Good to see that blow didn't affect your sense of humour,' he said with a grin.

'Is she awake?' asked Charlie as Judy heard the kitchen door fall shut.

'Yeah, she's awake,' said George coldly.

'And she doesn't blame us for anything,' added Fred.

'How are you?' asked Charlie, ignoring his brothers' remarks.

'I'm fine,' said Judy, noticing the same look in Charlie's eyes as she had seen in George's when she woke. 'I heard we won.'

'Yes, we did,' said Charlie absently. 'You sure you're all right?'

'Just a bit dizzy…well and then there's this of course,' said Judy, pointing to the lump above her eye. 'It was my own fault, Charlie,' she added, 'there was nothing any of you could have done. I just should have looked ahead.'

'Yes well, I threw the Quaffle too far ahead…'

'Come on Charlie, it's Quidditch,' said Judy amused, 'there's always a chance of getting hurt. At least I wasn't out for a week like Wood after his first match.'

'How do you expect her to feel better if you won't give her any room to breathe!' shouted Mrs. Weasley as she walked toward them. 'Now, out with all of you. I need to concentrate, it's quite a complex spell and I don't want any of you joking around while I'm performing it.'

Judy watched after the three Weasleys as they left through the kitchen door. Charlie cast her a short glance before following the twins outside. Something about the way he looked at her made her heart beat twice as fast. Judy took a deep breath and sighed. This wasn't happening…she must have had a real hard blow to her head…she was definitely imagining things.

Judy fell asleep after Mrs. Weasley had performed the spell on her and when she woke again she noticed by the light outside that the sun was starting to set. The house was now filled with smells of spices, warm meat, potatoes and a mixture of vegetables that Judy couldn't quite place. She sat up with a jerk as she realized it was dinner time now.

'Mrs. Weasley?' she got to her feet and walked toward the kitchen.

'Ah, awoke just in time for dinner?' asked Fred as he walked up from behind her. Judy heard another pair of feet rush down the stairs.

'Have to admire her timing,' said George, walking up to her as well.

'Listen, did any of you think to let my uncle know what happened?' asked Judy. 'He'll be worried sick if he doesn't,-'

'Don't worry, dear,' said Mrs. Weasley warmly from behind her. Judy turned on her heel. 'Your uncle knows everything and we've agreed that you go home right after you've had a decent meal.'

'Yes, we can't let you spin around past all those hearths without a decent meal,' said Fred. 'You'll undo mum's healing spell and go all dizzy again.'

'And that would be no way to repay our mother for her efforts,' said George sternly.

'You two are just-' Judy sighed and rolled her eyes.

'Evening, Weasleys.' Mr. Weasley entered the kitchen. He was a small balding man, though the hair he still had was as flaming red as that of the rest of the family. Judy remembered the twins telling her once that he worked at the Ministry of Magic.

'Hi, Dad,' said the twins in unison.

'I see I'm right on time for dinner,' said Mr. Weasley. He walked toward the kitchen sink and gave Mrs. Weasley a kiss.

'More in time than your other three sons and your daughter,' said Mrs. Weasley. 'Fred, you did tell them to come down-'

'We're here,' said Ginny brightly. Percy walked behind her, followed by Ron in his robe and Charlie at the back. 'We had to drag Ron out of bed…'

'Well, I am sick,' said Ron defensively.

'You haven't had a fever in two days…' said Ginny. 'You're not sick anymore, just lazy.'

'Or too scared to face us at Quidditch,' grinned Fred. Ron's ears went red as he walked toward the kitchen. He stopped in front of Judy.

'You ehm…' he paused, 'you must be Judy.'

'Yes, it's nice to meet you Ronald,' said Judy with a smile. 'I hope you're feeling better.'

'Yes well, a bit,' he said in a serious tone.

'Good, then you can replace Judy tomorrow…' said George amused.

'Yes…ehm…we'll see.' Ron quickly walked toward the kitchen table and took a seat.

'Good,' said Mrs. Weasley. 'Now that everybody is here, we can finally have dinner.'

'I'll help you with that, Mrs. Weasley.' Judy quickly walked to the kitchen sink and took a large bowl filled with potatoes.

'Thank you, dear.' Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. Judy put the bowl on the kitchen table. She turned and startled as she faced Mr. Weasley.

'I don't believe we have been properly introduced yet,' he smiled at her and held out his hand. 'Arthur Weasley.'

'Judy Byrne,' said Judy taking his hand, 'it's nice to meet you, Mr. Weasley.'

'You too,' smiled Mr. Weasley. 'Heard all about you from Fred and George of course. One of their biggest fans, if I recall correctly.' Judy looked at the twins, both grinning up at her.

'They're not too bad,' offered Judy.

'Not too bad?' asked George. Judy turned to the stove again, took a bowl of green beans and put it down next to the potatoes.

'That's what I said,' said Judy.

'But we're unbeatable,' said Fred in protest.

'Not after today,' said Charlie, exchanging a smile with Judy.

'You two beat them at Quidditch?' laughed Ginny. 'I didn't know you were that good at Quidditch, Judy.'

'We just got lucky,' said Judy honestly.

'We'll want a rematch,' said Fred, looking at her as she sat down opposite him. Charlie sat down next to her…she was just imagining things, she thought quickly.

'Any time,' smiled Judy.

'Yes, but not at dinner,' interjected Mrs. Weasley. 'I've heard enough about Quidditch for one day.'

'How can you ever hear enough about Quidditch?' asked Fred. Mrs. Weasley looked at him sternly. Judy hid her smile as she pretended to rearrange her cutlery.

'Well, then if Quidditch is off the table, I have got some news for you,' said Mr. Weasley. 'I met a representative of the Daily Prophet at work today.' All of the Weasleys seemed to hold their breath. Judy could see by the look in Mr. Weasley's eyes were the announcement was going. 'He informed me that we won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw.' There were cheers all around the table and Judy couldn't help but feel excited for the Weasleys. She couldn't think of any other family who deserved such a prize more.

'Seven hundred galleons!' said Ron, who sat on Judy's left. 'That's a fortune, Dad. What are you going to do with it?'

'Well, your mum and I have been speculating about what to do with the money if we won…'

'Oh Arthur, really?' asked Mrs. Weasley excitedly.

'We're all going to Egypt,' said Mr. Weasley with a broad grin.

'Egypt!' said the twins in unison.

'Egypt!' said Percy. 'I can't wait to see the pyramids. Oh and runes, may be I can do an assignment for Ancient Runes there for extra credit…'

'Runes?' George arched a brow.

'Pyramids?' asked Fred. 'I can't wait to see the mummies and the curses they've put on those tombs.'

'I bet Bill can tell us all about those when we're there,' said Ginny with a smile. She was obviously excited to see her eldest brother again.

'It'll be so nice to go on holiday with the entire family,' Mrs. Weasley beamed. Judy knew the Weasleys never had much money to spare. She couldn't help but feel happy for all of them to go on holiday. As a family. She thought on Remus, sitting at home on his own. With the Weasleys going to Egypt and Willow going to Ireland, she would have no choice but to spend the rest of the summer with her uncle, for which she was grateful.

They spent the rest of dinner talking about Egypt and its mysteries. Fred, George, Ron and Ginny couldn't stop talking about the curses they'd heard about in History of Magic and wondered if they were able to visit any of the pyramids Professor Bins had talked about. Percy was busy trying to persuade all of them that Runes were far more interesting than curses, without noticing that nobody was listening to him. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were busy persuading Charlie to take some more time off work and join them. By the look in Charlie's eyes Judy could see that he didn't need much convincing.

After everybody had finished their meal, Judy helped Ginny and the twins clear the table. By the time they finished, the sun had already set outside and Judy couldn't wait to go home to see Lupin again. Seeing the Weasleys so happy about going on holiday together, had made her realize how little time she had spent with Lupin during the holidays. It was something she definitely wished to catch up on, before going back to Hogwarts and not seeing him again till Christmas.

'Thanks again for dinner, Mrs. Weasley,' said Judy, as she was about to leave.

'No trouble at all, dear,' said Mrs. Weasley warmly. 'I hope to see you again when we return from our holiday.'

'Don't worry Mum, you will,' said Fred. 'We haven't been able to get rid of her for three years.'

'And it can't be blamed on a lack of trying,' added George, rolling his eyes.

'You two never cut her a little slack, do you?' asked Charlie, disapprovingly. 'You know, you-'

'There goes your knight to the rescue again,' George grinned. Judy deliberately evaded Charlie's gaze.

'You two…' said Charlie, fuming. He turned and walked out of the kitchen door.

'Come on, George,' said Judy. 'He didn't deserve that.' She quickly walked through the kitchen to the garden. Charlie walked down the lawn to the orchard. 'Charlie!' She rushed after him. He stopped and turned. Judy stopped in front of him.

'Listen, George didn't…'

'How can you stand up for him like that when he, both of them…' he looked past her at the house.

'Because they're my friends,' said Judy. 'We do this all the time, Charlie. It's just good fun.'

'But they're picking on you…'

'They're teasing me,' Judy corrected him. 'I'll tease them back when all of you return from holiday,' smiled Judy. 'George didn't mean to offend you.'

'I'm not offended, I've known those two longer than you. I just don't think it's right for them to talk to you like that when you just…' He took a deep breath. Judy met his eyes and saw exactly what she had feared.

'Listen, I was stupid enough to fly into that pole. There was nothing you could have done to stop it, any of you.' Judy looked up at him. 'Besides, I'm fine. Safe for this,' she touched the lump on her forehead, 'but I can make a potion at home to help it heal faster. So stop blaming yourself, all right?'

'Yeah, all right,' he shrugged.

'Good. Have a good holiday, Charlie.' He evaded her eyes.

'Yes, thanks,' said Charlie absently. Judy tried to catch his gaze but failed.

'Bye.' Judy turned to walk back up to the house.

'Judy?' asked Charlie hesitantly. The young woman quickly turned back to face him.

'Yes?'

'I hope…I hope I'll see you again sometime.' He cast her a small smile. Judy's heart seemed to stop beating for a second.

'Me too,' she smiled back at him, surprised that the warm feeling she had inside didn't seem to warm her cheeks as well. 'Goodbye.'

'Bye.' Judy turned and walked back up to the house. George and Fred looked up from their conversation as she walked in.

'How is he handling himself?' said George gravely.

'He'll be all right,' said Judy, walking up to them while her mind wandered to the man outside.

'Snogging always cheers him up,' said Fred with a smile.

'Honestly, I just defended you two out there…' Judy rolled her eyes.

'Well, you should have known us better than that,' offered George.

'I suppose you're right,' smiled Judy. 'Listen, I have to go. You two have fun in Egypt, all right. And don't bring me back anything that's cursed…' She walked over to Fred and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

'We'll just send you an owl,' said Fred with a grin as Judy stepped back.

'I'll believe that when I see it…' said Judy, bidding George goodbye in the same way as she had done with Fred. 'Have a good holiday.'

'You too,' George cast her a small smile. 'Jude…do you think Willow would like it if I wrote to her?' He said in a whisper.

'I think you know the answer to that yourself, George.' Judy smiled at him. 'Goodbye.'

Judy stepped into the hearth and took a handful of Floo powder. 'Lupin's house!' She called and threw the Floo powder to the floor. She just heard Fred and George bid her goodbye before spinning around and seeing several hearths fly past her. She landed softly, dust fluttering around her and covering her clothes. Judy coughed twice as she clapped the sooth off her. She stepped into the small living room. The only light came from two lit candles on the kitchen table.

'Remus?' she called.

'Judy?' He rushed into the kitchen and then toward her, Duncan following in his wake.

'Molly told me…oh, that doesn't look good,' he gently touched the bump on her forehead. Judy recoiled.

'It doesn't feel good either,' she explained. 'I'll make something with monkroot, daffodil and a touch of murtlap essence. That should reduce the pain and a bit of the swelling.' Judy squatted to pet Duncan as he rubbed his back against her shins. The black cat purred as she scratched him behind his ears.

'So how did this happen?' asked Lupin gravely. Judy looked at him as she got back up, ignoring Duncan mewing in protest.

'Didn't Mrs. Weasley tell you?' asked Judy as she walked to the kitchen cabinets. 'I flew into a goal post. It was stupid really, I…'

'Are you sure Fred or George didn't hit a Bludger your way?' cut Lupin across her.

'If they had, I would have hit one right back at them,' assured Judy him. 'I was just too focused on the Quaffle to see where I was headed. It was my own fault, Remus.' She said, looking for the ingredients for her potion.

'Well, either way you're not going to play Quidditch anymore this summer,' said Lupin sternly.

'Don't worry, I couldn't play any Quidditch even if I wanted to.' Judy smiled as she turned to face Lupin.

'What do you mean?' asked Lupin confused.

'The Weasleys are going on holiday to Egypt,' explained Judy. 'They won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. I don't expect them to be back until the start of the school year.'

'And Willow won't be back until the last week of August, right?' asked Lupin, sounding a little concerned.

'Right,' Judy surveyed him for a moment. 'I'll be fine, Remus. I've got you and Duncan to spend time with, right?' Lupin smiled at her.

'That's not entirely true,' said Lupin, walking to the mantle piece and picking up an envelope from the dark wood. He walked over to Judy and handed her the already opened envelope. 'It was addressed to the both of us,' said Lupin apologetically.

Judy smiled at him as she took out a piece of parchment. She scanned the few lines written on it in an all too familiar handwriting.

* * *

_Dear Judy,_

_How have you been? I feel I owe you an apology for not having written to you for so long. I'm afraid this letter will be short as well, I'm just too busy studying and working at the Ministry. But no worries, we'll have plenty of time to catch up soon. My mum and dad asked me to invite you and Remus over for dinner on your Birthday. I'm sure you'll both accept!_

_I'll be seeing you soon then._

_Many hugs,_

_Tonks_

* * *

'You're coming too, right?' asked Judy excitedly, as she looked up at Lupin.

'Only if you want me to,' answered Lupin.

'What?' asked Judy in disbelief. 'Of course I want you to! You're my family too.'

'Then I'll come too,' said Lupin with a small smile.

'Good,' Judy smiled back at him as she put the parchment down on the kitchen counter. 'Now, I'd better get started on that potion…I don't want to explain this bruise to Tonks and have her laugh at me.'

'She wouldn't dare with her mother in the room,' said Lupin reassuringly.

'I think she would,' Judy glanced back at him. Duncan was at her feet again, demanding her attention. Judy looked down at him, making a mental note to spoil him as soon as the potion was done. She owed him that much, having left him behind for so many times during this summer. She looked back up at the cabinets as Lupin spoke again.

'By the way, did you win?'

'Yes,' said Judy, her mind wandering back to a few hours before, back to her team mate, back to the man she said goodbye to in the overgrown garden. Judy couldn't help but smile. 'Yes, we won.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**The Prisoner of Azkaban**

A week later, Judy woke early in the small cottage. She spent half an hour in bed, staring at the blue ceiling before she sat up. Today was her sixteenth Birthday and despite feeling happy about turning sixteen, she couldn't help but feel a little sad for the same reason she did every year.

She loved Remus, she always had and for twelve years he had cared for her as much as if she were his own. But still….she couldn't help but miss her real parents every year. Her mother, who she hardly remembered, except for her long dark hair and the lavender scent of her perfume. And her father, who was far away from her, imprisoned in Azkaban. She remembered more of him, his warm eyes, melodious laughter and of course how he would transform to Padfoot and allow her to pet him till she fell asleep. Judy always had trouble believing that that man betrayed his best friends, something which had lead to heated discussions with Lupin in the past.

A determined tapping on her bedroom window withdrew Judy from her daydreaming. As she drew back the orange curtains, she saw a light brown screech-owl, a black and white little owl and a barn owl sitting outside on the window sill.

Judy turned on her heel as her bedroom door creaked. Duncan crept into the room and leapt onto her bed. He cast her a short glance with his yellow eyes, standing out against his black fur, and then quickly looked at the three owls outside.

'You stay put,' said Judy sternly, seeing the look in his oval eyes. 'Or you won't be getting any cream today.' Duncan looked at her for a moment, recognized defeat and started licking his paw.

Judy unlocked her bedroom window. All three owls quickly offered her the leg to which an envelope was attached. Judging by their heavy breathing both the light brown screech-owl and the black and white little owl must have travelled a long way. Judy had intended on giving all three owls some water, but as soon as she untied the third envelope they all flew away.

Judy left the window open as she walked back to her bed and sat down. It was a beautiful summer day and she savoured the warm sunlight on her skin. Duncan laid his head on her lap as Judy opened the first envelope; the one the familiar looking barn owl had carried. She unfolded the piece of parchment with one hand as she caressed Duncan's dark fur with her other. While the dark cat purred contently, Judy read the letter.

* * *

_Dear Ms Byrne, _

_Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. __A list of books for next year is enclosed._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professor M. McGonagall, _

_Deputy Headmistress_

* * *

Judy laid the letter with the enclosed booklist on her bed. For the first time in six years she thought examining her booklist could wait. The young witch quickly took up the envelope the little owl had carried and opened it to withdraw the letter inside. She scratched Duncan behind his ear as she read the familiar round handwriting.

* * *

_Dear Judy, _

_How are things back in England? I'm sure you're having the same beautiful summer weather as we're having. Ireland is absolutely amazing. I've included a picture of one of the Leprechauns we came upon. They're mischievous little creatures. You wouldn't believe how many wizards they've tricked into searching for their pot of gold. In fact we've come across several witches and wizards who were utterly convinced that they were close to finding a fortune. Dad tried to tell them that their search was bound to fail, but as some of the locals already told us it's pointless. In short it's been a very entertaining holiday, I'll tell you more about it when I get back of course. _

_But now to the real reason of this letter: Happy Birthday! I bought you an amazing gift, but it was too big for the little owl I sent to you. Have you ever seen a cuter owl? Anyway, I'll give you your present as soon as I see you again, which will probably be on the train back to Hogwarts. I can't wait to go back again, I bet you can't either! _

_Have a great day and I'll see you soon!_

_Love, _

_Willow_

_P.S. I got a letter from George. I'll tell you all about it when I see you again! _

* * *

Judy smiled as she reread the last line. From the first day they met, Willow and George had never been able to be just friends. Though both of them also hadn't taken their relationship a step further yet, Judy knew it was only a matter of time till her two friends would share more than friendship.

Judy searched the envelope and took out the picture which Willow had mentioned in her letter. A small green man walked around in it. He seemed to wear a jacket and pants, though it was hard to tell since his clothing were made of leaves. It didn't take long for the Leprechaun to notice that he was being watched, and as he did he quickly hid behind a small bush. No sooner had he disappeared however, or he emerged from behind the bush again, this time holding up a clump of gold in his left hand. Judy smiled as she noticed how the little man was trying to offer her the gold. Willow hadn't been lying when she had called Leprechauns mischievous.

After watching the Leprechaun's in vain attempts at persuading her for a while, Judy took up the third, heavier envelope. She took out the letter and noticed two other things as well; a new quill with a bright red feather and a finely woven golden like bookmark. The young witch looked at the presents with a smile and read the letter accompanying it.

_

* * *

__Dear Jude, _

_Well first of all, here's our letter, as we promised. Just goes to show we're not a total lost cause. _

_Second of all…Happy Birthday! We've included a phoenix feather quill and a sphinx hair bookmark…that's what the man we bought them from told us anyway. Our brother Bill doubts they're genuine, but we figured it's the thought that counts and we're sure you'll agree as always._

_Egypt is amazing. The tombs are wicked and we almost managed to lock Percy in one of them. We had to, because ever since he's gotten his Head Boy badge he is even more annoying than usual. Unfortunately our mother caught us, but we'll keep trying…We'll tell you much more and show you some awesome pictures when we get back. _

_Have a good Birthday (though it probably will be boring without us) and we'll see you on the train!_

_Greetings,_

_Fred & George_

_P.S. Charlie asked us to wish you a Happy Birthday on his account as well. So consider it done. _

* * *

Judy reread the last line again, her heart skipping a beat. She couldn't help but think on how she and Charlie said goodbye to each other in the Burrow's garden. The way he had called her back to say that he'd like to see her again wasn't something that sprung from her imagination. And yet, she couldn't allow herself to think on the possible implications of their leave taking, she knew herself well enough to know how disappointed she would be if they turned out to be wrong.

'Judy?' She yelped as she looked at the doorway, quickly folding up the letter.

'Bad conscience?' asked Lupin with an arched eyebrow.

'What? No,' said Judy quickly. 'Just a letter from Fred and George to wish me a Happy Birthday. And I got one from Willow as well.'

'That's nice of them,' said Lupin with a smile. 'Though I was hoping to be the first to congratulate you.' As he walked over to her Judy noticed he was already showered and dressed, instead of still wearing a robe as he usually did in the morning.

'Well, you can be the first to congratulate me in the flesh,' offered Judy as she got up from the bed. Lupin walked over to her and embraced her as he kissed her on the cheek.

'Happy Birthday, sweetheart.' He smiled at her as he pulled back. 'I can't believe you're already sixteen.'

'One more year and I'll be of age,' said Judy with a smile.

'Yes, one more year,' repeated Lupin, to emphasize that she wasn't of age yet. 'Now, hurry up and get dressed.'

'You're in a rush…' said Judy amused. She had always been more of a morning person than Lupin.

'I just don't want your tea to get cold,' explained Lupin.

'You made tea, already?' asked Judy in disbelief. 'How long have you been up?'

'About an hour,' said Lupin casually. 'Now, go on and get dressed and meet me outside in the garden.'

'In the garden?' asked Judy confused.

'Go on,' urged Lupin as he backed out of the room. 'I'll see you outside in a minute.'

'But Remus…' Judy's voice faltered as she heard Lupin descending the stairs. There was no point in continuing to ask him what he had planned; Lupin would never tell her anything if he had his mind made up.

Ten minutes later Judy had taken a quick shower and put on a light blue blouse with a light yellow skirt underneath. Despite it only being ten in the morning the summer sun was already too warm for her to wear a pair of jeans as she usually did.

The young witch rushed down the stairs on her bare feet and quickly headed out to the garden, eager to find out what Lupin had planned for her. As she walked around the side of the house, past the vegetable patch, she stopped dead at the sight before her.

Lupin sat on a large dark blue blanket on the bright green grass. In front of him lay an assortment of buns, marmalade, cheese, pumpkin juice, a pot of tea and several bright red apples. In the middle stood a small chocolate cake with a single burning candle. Judy looked at Lupin at a loss for words.

'Well, don't just stand there…' said Lupin with a small smile.

'Remus,' Judy said softly as she walked over to him, 'you really shouldn't have.' She looked at the display before her, knowing how much more it cost him than a regular breakfast.

'I wanted to,' he said reassuringly, knowing perfectly well what she was worried about. He waited for to sit down before speaking again. 'Here,' he withdrew a package from his back and handed it to her.

'Remus, really…' said Judy, looking at him.

'It's just a little something that I know you'll need when you're back at school.' Judy eyed him for a moment and then unwrapped her present. She took out a sketch book and a box of charcoal and smiled. Since Lupin had given her a similar set on her eighth Birthday, Judy spent many hours drawing. It was one of her favourite pass times during her spare time at Hogwarts and the holidays, though this year she had drawn less than before with her visits to Willow and the Weasleys.

'Thanks,' she said softly. 'I had run out of these.'

'I know,' said Lupin with a smile. 'Now, we'd better get started on this…I'm starving.'

'Me too,' Judy smiled as she looked at him. She knew that deep down she would always miss her real parents, especially on her Birthdays, but having Lupin around was also more than enough to make her happy.

&

'Judy! We need to go!' Lupin called from downstairs.

'Be down in a minute!' called Judy, for what must have been the third time. Fifteen minutes before they were expected at her aunt Andromeda's house she had decided to change into a different outfit. But once in her room she of course hadn't been able to decide what to wear. When she just about decided to wear the same thing she had worn all day she came across a dark blue skirt and matching jacket which her aunt gave her the year before. Combined with a soft pink blouse it was just perfect for her Birthday dinner. She was just adjusting a few pins in her hair when Lupin called up the stairs for the fourth time.

'Judy Lilian Byrne, if you won't come down this instant…!'

'I'm done!' said Judy, already rushing down the stairs. She stopped dead in the doorway as she saw a flicker of anger in Lupin's eyes. As soon as Lupin laid eyes on her however the flicker faded and he cast her a small smile.

'What?' asked Judy apprehensively.

'Nothing,' Lupin shook his head. 'I just forgot how…how much you look like your mother.' Judy cast him a small smile.

She studied his appearance as she walked over to him. She wasn't the only one who changed into a different outfit. Lupin now wore a dark grey suit with a matching tie instead of the blue blouse and slightly worn pants he had worn before. Judy smiled as she took his tie and straightened it.

'There, now you look perfect.' Lupin cast her a small smile. 'Well, we'd better get going, right?' asked Judy softly. 'Aunt Andromeda won't like it if we're late.'

'I've agreed with your aunt and uncle that we'll be Apparating in their garden.'

'Apparating?' asked Judy disappointed. 'Do we have to, Remus? I'd rather use the Floo Network.' Judy had always hated the suffocating feeling that accompanied sidelong Apparation.

'And get soot on those pretty clothes?' asked Lupin with an arched brow. 'I don't think so.'

'Fine,' Judy recognized defeat under his stern look. She cast a glance at Duncan who lay sprawled on the couch, half asleep. At least he wouldn't notice they'd be leaving him behind again.

'Come on,' said Lupin, beckoning her to stand beside him. 'You know what to do.' Judy took his arm firmly and closed her eyes. Within a second she felt herself drawn into a suffocating darkness. She held her breath, knowing she was bound to hyperventilate if she didn't. Just when she felt she had to gasp for air, her feet landed on a soft underground.

They stood on a stroke of grass, between a flowerbed of red roses and a small fishpond. About a meter in front of them a narrow white cobbled path led to a small terrace on which stood a round wooden table surrounded by three wooden lawn chairs. Judy remembered how the fourth one, which stood in the shed, would always be brought out when she visited the Tonks in the past. She regretted how few times she had visited her kin during the past years, but she also knew deep down that visiting them too often would only rouse suspicion about their relationship.

'They're here!' Judy looked up at the source of the familiar voice. Nymphadora Tonks walked toward her and Lupin over the cobbled path. She wore a loose lavender summer dress, which combined perfectly with her bright bubble gum pink hair colour.

'Happy Birthday, Jude!' Tonks kissed her once on each cheek and embraced her.

'Thanks,' said Judy, smiling at Tonks as she pulled back. The two of them had spent much time together at Hogwarts during Judy's first two years, while they both attended the wizarding school. Apart from their shared passion for Quidditch, Tonks was Judy's cousin and knew of her true identity. That had always created a bond of trust between them.

'Good to see you too, Remus,' Tonks cast him a smile.

'Thank you for inviting us,' said Lupin. Judy watched the exchange in silence, noticing as always the hint of tension between the other two.

'Come on, let's go inside,' Tonks put an arm around Judy as they walked up to the terraced house. 'I've got so many things to tell you and I want to know everything that happened to you in the past year.' Tonks preceded Judy and Lupin inside.

The dining room wasn't very large, but the elegant furniture and paintings on the wall gave the room an aristocratic feeling. Several dark side tables with intricate light designs stood against the walls, topped with beautiful vases with red roses from the garden or small sculptures. The bordeaux red wallpaper and the light chandelier which hung over the dining table, gave the room a very warm feeling.

'So,' said Tonks, turning around to face her younger cousin, 'Tell me, is Snape still the same git as always?'

'That will do, Dora,' said Andromeda Tonks as she put a porcelain salad bowl on a dark wooden table, inlaid with the same intricate light design as the side tables. She met Judy's eyes as she looked up. 'Hello, dear.'

'Hello, aunt Andromeda,' Judy smiled at her. Her long light, soft brown hair was partially pinned up while a few loose strands hung over her shoulder. Her kind brown eyes met Judy's as she walked around the table. Andromeda wore a long dark green dress, making her look as elegant as ever. Judy thought that that sense of elegance was a family trait; as far as she knew Narcissa and Bellatrix strived for the same elegance in their appearance. Though admittedly, all she had seen of Andromeda's sisters were old photographs.

'Nymphadora, would you mind getting the potatoes?' Judy was sure that Andromeda was the only person in the world who could call Tonks by her first name without Tonks' hair changing colour.

'Of course, Mom,' said Tonks, already heading for the kitchen.

'Happy Birthday Judy.' Andromeda gave Judy a hug. 'You know,' said Andromeda as she pulled back, 'for a moment I thought I was looking at your mother.'

Judy smiled at her. 'Thank you for inviting us.'

'You're welcome,' Andromeda cast her a smile and turned to Lupin. 'How have you been, Remus?'

'Fine, thank you.'

'Good. Ted will be home late unfortunately,' said Andromeda, looking at the both of them. 'It's been a rather hectic day, I suppose it hasn't been any different for you two.'

'What do you mean?' asked Lupin confused.

'You haven't heard?' asked Andromeda in disbelief. 'It's been all over the Daily Prophet.'

'We don't get the Daily Prophet,' said Judy quickly.

'Oh, dear,' said Andromeda, hesitating for a moment. 'Well, this might come as a bit of a shock, but…Sirius escaped from Azkaban.'

'He what?!' asked Lupin in disbelief. 'But how…?'

'Nobody knows,' said Tonks, walking back into the dining room. 'Scrimgeor has almost every Auror searching for Sirius. He's asked me to research how he broke out. I'm not allowed to go into the field on my own yet,' she explained as she put another porcelain bowl on the dining table.

'But why now?' asked Lupin, looking from Tonks to Andromeda. 'Why did he break out now?'

'The Prophet doesn't say anything about that,' said Andromeda gravely. 'I'll go get it so you can read the article yourself.'

Judy watched after her aunt as she left the room, barely registering the conversation going on around her. She stared at the set table, her mind in a different place than her body. He escaped. Her father escaped from prison and for some reason it didn't disturb or scare her like the other people in the room. If anything she was rather excited about the event. After all, she'd never been convinced of his guilt…then again the entire Wizengamot was convinced of just that when they convicted him twelve years before.

'Actually,' said Tonks, drawing Judy away from her thoughts, 'the Ministry doesn't even know exactly why he's escaped. Though they have their suspicions...'

'And what are those?' asked Lupin interested.

Tonks looked at him for a moment. 'I'm not really allowed to tell you…but I think the two of you have a right to know,' said Tonks as she cast a small smile at Judy. 'Fudge thinks that Sirius is after Harry, and-'

'Nonsense!' said Judy, making both Tonks and Lupin look at her.

'Judy,' said Lupin sternly.

'Well it is,' said Judy defensively. 'You know how much Sirius cares about Harry, he'd never go after him to hurt him.'

'I know how much Sirius _cared_ for Harry,' said Lupin, stressing the passed tense. 'You didn't forget what he did to Lily and James, did you?' Judy answered his gaze in silence. 'Judy,' said Lupin sternly.

'Don't worry, I won't go looking for him,' she said quickly. 'I may think he's innocent but I'm not stupid. I know proof is against him.'

'Good,' said Tonks, looking at her concerned. 'Because you should be careful too…'

'Why?' asked Judy confused.

'If Sirius wants to get Harry,-'

'He doesn't,-'

'But if he does,' cut Tonks across her. 'He might try to do so at Hogwarts…and he'll need someone to help him get past the Dementors.'

'What Dementors?' asked Judy, looking at Tonks.

'If Sirius isn't captured before the start of the school year…which is very likely,' added Tonks, 'the Ministry intends to station Dementors all around Hogwarts.'

'And Dumbledore agrees with this?' asked Lupin in disbelief.

'I'm afraid he has no choice,' said Tonks, now turning her gaze to Lupin. 'It is for Harry's and the other students' safety. Dumbledore has the responsibility to protect them while at Hogwarts.'

'But there are enough protective charms on the castle to protect us,' offered Judy. 'No one has ever intruded the castle and harmed a student.'

'True,' said Tonks gravely, 'but no one has ever broken out of Azkaban either…'

'I've found it,' all three of them turned as Andromeda walked back into the dining room. 'Here, it's all over the front page,' she handed the paper to Lupin who took it and sat down at the dining table. Andromeda sat down next to him. Judy looked over her aunt and Lupin's shoulders.

* * *

_SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPE__S FROM AZKABAN PRISON_

_Mass murderer Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban prison last night. Black was sent to Azkaban twelve years ago to serve a life long sentence. His crimes include the betrayal of James and Lily Potter which led to their death at the hand of He Who Must Not Be Named. When Ministry officials tried to capture Black he killed thirteen Muggles in broad daylight with a single curse while resisting his arrest. _

_Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge stated that the Ministry is of yet unaware of the exact reason for Black's escape. Despite protests of several members of the Wizengamot, Fudge is intent on informing the Muggle Prime Minister of Black's escape today. According to Fudge 'both magical and non-magical lives are at stake and the Muggles have a right to be informed about a mass murderer's escape. Though of course, Black's magical abilities will be kept secret from the Muggle world.' _

_Wizards and witches are strongly advised to report any sighting of Black to the Ministry and not try to approach him themselves to prevent a massacre as that of twelve years ago. _

* * *

'So the Muggles are informed as well?' asked Lupin interested.

'It should be on the Muggle news tomorrow morning,' answered Tonks.

'Dora,' said Judy, thinking back on what her cousin had told her before. 'If the Dementors capture him…what will happen?'

'They've been ordered to perform a kiss…' said Tonks softly. 'I'm sorry, Judy.'

Judy looked at the picture on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Sirius was screaming, his hair unkempt, his eyes filled with anger. It was hard to recognize the father she remembered in the picture. Judy fought back the tears she felt welling up inside her. She put all her effort in avoiding the gazes of the other three people in the room, knowing she would break as soon as she saw the concern in their eyes.

'How about we start on dinner,' said Andromeda after a few moments of silence. 'I don't want it to cool off anymore than it already has.'

Judy sat down next to Lupin and opposite Tonks. She didn't speak as Andromeda took the empty deep plates and filled them with soup. In fact the entire dinner seemed to pass her by. She smiled as she opened Tonks' present and thanked her as she saw the new orange and blue striped cushion for her pet cat. Andromeda and Ted's present was opened with the same smile as she took out two new skirts, an orange and a red one; Andromeda had always believed Judy wore too many jeans and baggy pants than a girl should.

Judy thought that everybody else believed she was enjoying herself. Even Tonks didn't seem to notice that Judy's mind was with another person than the ones around her. Their conversation about Judy's past year at Hogwarts went flawlessly, though Judy had to draw herself away from her thoughts from time to time.

However, despite everything seeming all right, Judy's mind was completely taken up by what Tonks had told her about the Dementors. About what would happen to her father if the Dementors' captured him. Judy knew that even if she believed in his guilt she would still have a hard time accepting that his soul would be sucked out of his body. Her believe in his innocence made her feel even worse.

After dinner Judy excused herself and went outside, not feeling able anymore to hide her tears. She sat in one of the wooden lawn chairs and looked up at the darkening sky; the same way she had done when she was still a child, hoping against hope that her father would come flying out of the sky toward her on his enchanted motorcycle.

'Are you all right?' Judy quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve as Tonks sat down in the chair next to her.

'I'm fine,' said Judy, deliberately not looking at her cousin.

'Do you want to talk about it?' offered Tonks.

'What is there to talk about?' asked Judy, now meeting her cousin's eyes. 'The Dementors are going to suck my father's soul from his body…' She shook her head as another wave of tears overtook her.

'Come here,' Tonks put a comforting arm around her.

'It's not fair, Dora,' Judy sobbed. 'Why do I have to lose both of them?'

'Because life isn't fair, Jude,' offered Tonks. 'Listen, what happened to your mother was awful and never should have happened. But Sirius…he committed a crime. He can't walk away unpunished.'

'I know,' said Judy truthfully. 'But…he's still my father.'

'He's also a murderer…'

'Don't call him that, Dora.'

'Everybody will call him that, Judy,' said Tonks truthfully. 'You will have to get use to it, if you don't want to give yourself away.' Judy looked at Tonks, noticing how her bright bubble gum pink hair had faded; Tonks' hair colour tended to be influenced by her emotions.

'And what if I do give myself away?' asked Judy defiantly. 'I'm proud to be his daughter.'

'Don't be thick, Jude,' said Tonks disapprovingly. 'You know how much danger you'll be in when the Ministry finds out you're his daughter. They won't hesitate to question you about his whereabouts…and Fudge won't believe that you have no idea where Sirius is. He's too keen on getting Sirius chucked back into Azkaban.'

'I don't care what happens to me,' said Judy bitterly.

'You can't save Sirius from his fate, Jude.' Tonks sighed as she looked at her younger cousin. 'Listen, Remus, my parents, me and Dumbledore have kept your identity a secret for all your life to protect you. Giving yourself away like that would be the most ungrateful thing you could do…'

'I know,' Judy sighed as well. 'I won't tell anybody. It's just…I hate feeling this helpless, Dora. I mean, I know he's probably guilty of those crimes, but I can't help but believe in his innocence…'

'Of course you believe he's innocent,' said Tonks in understanding. 'But you need to take the facts into account, Jude. It's like you said in there, proof is against him.'

'Yes, I know,' Judy sighed deeply as she wiped away her now half dry tears. 'I miss him, Dora.'

'We all do,' said Tonks with a small smile, tightening her hold on her younger cousin. 'But there are enough people still here who care about you…never forget that Judy.'

'I won't.' She smiled at Tonks, whose hair colour was once again vivid pink. 'Thanks, Dora.'

'Anytime,' Tonks smiled at her. 'Now, how about we go back in for dessert?' The older witch asked brightly. 'Mom made treacle tart…'

'My favourite,' Judy smiled as she got up. She cast another glance at the now starlit sky before following Tonks inside.

Somewhere out there was her father… Judy couldn't help but wonder if he had thought as much of her as she had thought of him. If he had thought as much on all of them, just like she had. Her mother, Lily, James and Harry…

She looked at the sky for another moment as the memories of her past also brought back something else she had totally forgotten about. Tomorrow, Harry would turn thirteen…Harry, the boy that had been like a little brother to her and now didn't even know of her existence.

Judy walked back into the dining room, a hint of sadness in her heart as she thought of the life she had missed out on. Lupin cast her a smile as she sat down next to him. Judy took his hand and squeezed it once. She knew he understood how she was feeling and she knew he'd be there for her if she again had trouble to hold her tears back. But she also realized for the second time that day and much stronger than before, that despite the loss of her parents and her father's best friends and despite the sudden disappearance in her life of the young boy she considered her little brother, she hadn't lost everything. There were people who still cared for her and she hadn't and wouldn't forget that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Reunions in Diagon Alley**

It was the last weekend of August when Judy woke with a start from a nightmare she couldn't remember. She remained in bed for a few moments, in an effort to get rid of the unsettling feeling in her stomach. When the attempt turned out in vain, she took a quick shower to wash the cold sweat off her skin and silently descended the stairs. Lupin often had trouble getting to sleep and she didn't wish to wake him so early in the morning.

Duncan walked up to her as she entered the living room. He tried to rub his back against her legs as Judy carefully made her way to the kitchen so she wouldn't step on him. Judy took a pack of milk from the refrigerator and filled Duncan's saucer. The black cat immediately started drinking it as she put the saucer down on the kitchen floor.

Judy cast back the kitchen curtains and allowed the first sun rays to illuminate the small room. The clock on the wall beside her chimed once and Judy noticed that it was less early than she had thought. It was seven-thirty and since Lupin was bound to wake in the next half hour Judy decided to get started on breakfast.

Her mind seemed to be in a different place than her body as she started on a pot of tea and took out eggs and bacon and a frying pan. The events of the past summer ran through her head as if she were watching a movie. She played Quidditch in an orchard with two of her best friends and their brother, Tonks walked up to her and Lupin with open arms, Sirius escaped from Azkaban, she herself woke up from a nightmare she seemed to have every single night since her father's escape...

Judy looked up as she heard a tapping on the window. Again a barn owl stared at her, bearing a letter from Hogwarts. Judy opened the window and took the envelope from the owl's paw. It hooted thankfully, turned, and flew toward the sun, which now shone above the horizon. Judy quickly scanned the name on the letter, noticing somewhat surprised that it was addressed to her.

As she looked at the clock again, she put the letter down on the counter. She broke a couple of eggs and put a few pieces of bacon in the now hot frying pan. The sizzling noise cut through the silence that hung in the kitchen. Judy was grateful for the sound, having hated silence for as long as she could remember.

She took out two plates, divided the bacon and eggs and poured the now hot water in a tea pot. When she turned to the kitchen table she caught Lupin looking at her from the doorway.

'Are you sure you don't use magic to get your timing so accurate?' He smiled at her.

'Only years of experience, Remus,' said Judy, walking to the table and putting down the plates.

'Your booklist, I suppose?' asked Lupin, gesturing at the envelope on the counter. 'It is rather late this year, isn't it?'

'It's not my booklist. I got that on the morning of my Birthday. Didn't I tell you?'

'I suppose that letter from Fred and George distracted you too much,' offered Lupin with a smile. Judy chose to ignore his comment, though she couldn't help her lips from curling up in a smile.

'I guess I must have forgotten about it,' said Judy, walking to the table with the teapot in one hand and balancing two cups in the other. 'But we can go get my books today, can't we?'

'I suppose we don't have a choice, since you have to be on the train to school tomorrow...' Lupin looked at her sternly, making Judy feel a bit ashamed how she had forgotten all about her books. Then again with the events of the past summer, she wasn't sure he could really blame her. 'But,' Lupin continued, 'if you already got your booklist, why are you getting another letter from school?'

'I have no idea,' answered Judy. She took the letter, walked over to Lupin and sat down opposite him. She quickly opened the envelope.

Lupin started eating his breakfast, like he hadn't eaten in days. Judy felt glad to see he had a good appetite for a change. She looked at the piece of paper in her hands after she had unfolded it.

* * *

_Dear Ms Byrne,_

_By means of this letter I am requesting your presence in my office on the eve of the 1st of September. Professor Flitwick will be waiting for you at the entrance to the Great Hall to escort you. You are to go nowhere else in the castle before our appointment. I trust you to keep our meeting a secret, safe from your uncle of course._

_Until the 1st of September._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Professor Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore _

_Headmaster_

* * *

'Oh…' said Judy at a loss for words.

'What is it?' asked Lupin, looking somewhat concerned.

'Dumbledore wants to see me at the start of the school year.' Her voice sounded anxious. Duncan leapt onto her lap and settled there, as if he were aware of her fear and was trying to give her comfort.

'Does it say what he wants to see you for?' asked Lupin softly.

'No,' she scanned the letter again, 'but…well, it can't be much else than Sirius breaking out, can it? He knows I don't believe Sirius is guilty.'

'You should not boast about it like that, Judy.' Lupin warned her. 'People may get suspicious and put two and two together…'

'I'm not boasting,' retorted Judy. 'I'm just saying he knows and that's probably why he wrote to me. I'll be careful, Remus. I always have been.'

'I know.' Lupin cast her a small smile, though his concern still showed in his eyes. 'Now, I think it's best if you start packing your trunk after breakfast. Then you at least won't have to turn your room upside down till late in the evening…' Judy smiled before taking a bite of her bacon. It wouldn't be the first time she had left her room in a mess, just before being off to school. 'We'll go to Diagon Alley as soon as you're done.'

'I'll start packing right after breakfast,' promised Judy, as she caressed Duncan's dark fur.

'Then I'll do the dishes,' said Lupin with a smile as he already took out his wand from his pocket and laid it on the table.

They left for Diagon Alley in the afternoon using the Floo Network. Judy was the first to travel to Flourish and Blotts, but as Lupin emerged from the hearth as well, Judy was still coughing frantically.

'You really should learn to hold your breath…' Lupin remarked, as he shook the soot of his coat. Judy coughed again.

'It'll be over in a minute.' She said hopefully.

Judy looked around the bookstore, still coughing now and then. The smell of new books penetrated her nostrils, making her take a long, deep breath. She had loved that smell for as long as she could remember.

Stacks of books lay around the store, some neatly lain on top of each other, others making such huge bends that Judy was amazed they hadn't toppled over. Every piece of wall was covered by a bookcase so high that you had to use a two meter long ladder to reach the top most shelve. The dark wood of which the bookcases were made, gave the store a very warm feeling. That warm feeling had always made Flourish and Blotts Judy's favourite store.

As Lupin and Judy made their way through the maze of books and side tables, they noticed the store was very crowded, even for this time of day. It didn't take long for them to find the source of the attraction.

On one of the larger side tables in the middle of the bookstore, lay a stack of books which seemed to disappear so rapidly as if it were done by magic. Judy just managed to read one of the bindings of the last book as an elderly witch grabbed it from under her nose.

'It's Gilderoy Lockhart's,' said Judy in disbelief. 'How can people still be buying his books after what happened last year? The man is a fraud!'

'Not everybody knows what happens at Hogwarts,' offered Lupin. 'And even though he can't do much magic himself, the spells he's written down do work. Besides,-'

'Oy, Byrne!' Both Judy and Lupin turned on their heel as they heard the familiar voice. 'Now Jude, don't tell me you're smitten with Lockhart…' Fred Weasley said faking disappointment.

'How can I, when I'm totally smitten with you?' she smiled back at him. Judy realised too late that Lupin was standing beside them and what her comment must have sounded like. 'So, you're back from holiday then?' She said in an effort to change the subject.

'Yes, we are,' said George, walking up to them.

'It's good to see you again,' said Judy, now smiling at the both of them. With all the events of late, it indeed felt good to be reunited with her old friends.

'Listen,' Lupin interrupted. 'I'm going to make a quick stop at Gringotts. I'll be back in a minute, all right?'

'Sure.' Judy knew he was going to withdraw money from the vault her father had left her. Lupin had gotten the key to it when he took her in when she was four. She always wondered whether it had been a coincidence that Sirius had planned that much ahead. He was more a man that acted on impulse…her mother probably persuaded him to plan ahead.

'We'll keep an eye on her, sir,' said Fred in a serious tone. Lupin cast the twins a small smile as he left the store.

'I'm not sure you keeping an eye on me will reassure him.' Judy smiled at the twins. 'I got your presents by the way. I really liked them.'

'We know,' said Fred with a smile, 'you like anything you can use for school.'

Judy arched a brow at him, though she couldn't help her lips from curling up in a small smile. 'So tell me, how was Egypt?'

'Awesome. You won't believe what enchantments those Egyptian wizards put on those pyramids,' said Fred enthusiastically. 'I think Percy almost wet his pants in that last pyramid we visited.'

'Yeah, mummies, blood…it was pretty gruesome,' said George in the same enthusiastic tone.

'Sounds really interesting…' said Judy. 'You two here alone?'

'Mum's over at Olivander's for a new wand for Ron. The little git wrecked it last year when he flew our Dad's car into the Whomping Willow.'

'Well, that's nice. Calling your brother a git…' remarked Judy sarcastically.

'Oh lighten up, Byrne.' Fred smiled at her. 'School's about to start again...bet you can't wait to pore over your new books.'

'Oh, you're one to talk.' She smiled back at them. 'I can't wait to see you guys revising in the library for your OWLs.'

'Yes, unfortunately the tables have turned to your advantage this year.' George said darkly. Judy laughed, thinking back on how they had teased her about her OWLs last year.

'Jude!' Willow walked up to them wearing a light blue summer dress, her long red hair flowing behind her. 'Why didn't you tell me you'd be here today as well?!'

'Sorry, I forgot,' said Judy. With Sirius' escape she had indeed forgotten all about telling her best friend she'd be getting her books today. She and Willow had always bought their books together.

'Yeah well, don't worry about it,' said Willow in a guilty tone. 'I forgot telling you too.'

'And nobody told us…' said Fred in a dramatic tone.

'Oh shut up,' said Willow with a smile. 'Saw you two in the Daily Prophet, must have been some holiday.'

'Oh it was,' said George, 'would have brought you back a souvenir, but most of the stuff is cursed…figured I'd better play it safe.'

Willow cast him a smile. 'That's OK. Oh and thanks for the letter.'

'Oh ehm…you're welcome,' said George uncomfortably. He clearly hadn't counted on Willow bringing up his letter in the presence of Judy and his twin.

'Oh,' said Fred, 'so that's where you sent the other owl to!' George's ears went red at this comment. Judy assumed that even twins didn't always tell each other everything.

'Come on,' Judy took Fred's hand. 'Let's have a look at the new DADA books.' She quickly pulled Fred along, ignoring his protests that the DADA books stood on the other side of the store, as she waded through the crowd.

Fred sighed as they stopped behind one of the smaller bookcases, blocking Willow and George from their view. 'You know, I really would have liked to see that.'

'I know, that's why I pulled you away from there,' said Judy.

'You know that doesn't make any sense,' offered Fred as he leaned to the side to look around the bookcase.

'Fred!' Judy scolded, pulling him back. 'Come on, give them some privacy. They'll never get together if we're around them all the time.'

'Privacy?' Fred asked amused. 'I suppose you haven't noticed the place is too crowded to even turn around?' He scowled as two wizards squeezed past them, pushing both Fred and Judy with their noses against the books before them.

'I meant that they,' Judy paused as she stepped back again, 'need some time alone from us…or can you stand another year watching them dance around each other all the time and not making a single move?'

'I don't know…I mean, you have to admit it's sort of funny to watch,' said Fred, grinning at her.

'Fred, you're awful…' said Judy, arching a brow at him. She yelped as she was pushed forward by a young witch, reaching for a book just beside Judy. Fred caught her as she nearly fell. Their noses were only an inch apart as he smiled at her.

'You just can't resist me, can you?'

Judy laughed at his remark, but quickly stopped as she looked over his shoulder and saw Lupin looking at them from only a short distance away. To say he looked displeased at the sight before him was more than an understatement.

'Remus,' Judy stepped back and hastily straightened her blouse.

'It's Fred actually,' said Fred amused.

'Your brother told me I would find you here,' said Lupin, making Fred turn on his heel.

'Remus, please…we weren't doing anything,' said Judy in an effort to reduce the tension between them.

'Yes, I saw that…' said Lupin sceptically, looking at Fred.

'Fred!' Mrs. Weasley popped her head around the corner of the bookcase. 'Ah there you are…oh, hello Judy.' She smiled at her. 'How have you been?'

'Fine, thank you Mrs. Weasley.' said Judy, thankful for the interruption.

'Well, that's good to hear,' said Mrs. Weasley, 'I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we have to get back to the Leaky Cauldron.'

'Right behind you, mum.' Fred said, no doubt thankful to escape from Lupin's stern gaze. 'Save a seat for me on the train?' asked Fred, casting a quick glance back at Judy.

'Always,' smiled Judy. 'Bye Fred.' Judy watched after him till the bookcase obscured him from view. 'You really didn't have to look at him like that.' Lupin arched a brow at her. 'A woman knocked me over and Fred caught me before I fell…that's all you saw,' she said, looking him in the eye.

Lupin eyed her for a moment before he nodded. 'Then I was wrong. I'm sorry.'

'Well…no need to apologize,' Judy locked her arm with his. 'You're just looking out for me,' she said as they walked toward the other side of the room where the books for Hogwarts' students were displayed.

A knock on the shopping window to their left drew Judy's attention and she saw Willow looking at her from outside.

'See you on the train,' Willow mouthed, adding a little wave which Judy returned. Willow cast her a smile before walking out of view.

As Judy and Lupin reached one of the larger bookcases, Judy took her booklist from her bag. She handed it to Lupin, who read the titles aloud as Judy kept walking up and down the ladder to take the books from the bookcase and hand them to Lupin.

By the time they were done a half an hour had past and Lupin was almost completely obscured from view by the books he held before him.

'Are you sure you're not taking too many courses?' asked Lupin as Judy took half of the stack from him.

'I'm sure,' Judy smiled at him.

They had to wait in line for another ten minutes to pay for the books. Judy held up a large yellow backpack she had gotten from Willow for her Birthday last year and put most of her books in it with Lupin's help. The young witch crammed the last few books in a bright red shoulder bag. As she put the last book in the bag, Judy looked up and noticed suddenly how pale and tired Lupin looked.

'Come on,' she locked her arm with his again and led him from the shop. 'Some fresh air should do you good.' Lupin cast her a small smile as they reached the street; it fortunately wasn't as crowded as Flourish and Blotts had been.

As they walked down Diagon Alley, it didn't take long for Judy's back to ache with the weight of her books. She tried to readjust the straps of her backpack, but that didn't lessen her pain.

Just as Judy had convinced herself that having new schoolbooks was more than worth a little back ache, Lupin relieved her from her pain with a hover charm, making her backpack and shoulder bag feel a lot lighter than they had before. Judy cast him a thankful smile and noticed that the warm sunrays did Lupin good; his pale features seemed to gain a little colour from just being out in the fresh air.

They halted at Madam Malkin's where a crowd of children had gathered, pointing at the boy and girl mannequins dressed in a Hogwarts uniform. Several words which sounded all too familiar to Judy stood out against the cries of eagerness to be wearing such a uniform one day.

'I'm going to be in Gryffindor!' said a little blond boy, who couldn't have been over 7 years old.

'You?!' asked a dark haired girl beside him. 'You're scared of mice! Only the brave get into Gryffindor!'

'Well, where do you think you're going then?' asked the boy offended.

'Me?' asked the girl. 'My parents are both purebloods, so I'll be in Slytherin!' she stated haughtily.

Judy's mind wandered back to a time when she had heard a similar phrase. Abigail MacDonald, a short curvy girl with long red curly hair had said the same thing to her on the evening that they were sorted into their houses. For some reason, however, the Sorting Hat had cried out Ravenclaw after barely touching Abigail's head. Judy now shared her dorm with Abigail, who never seemed to stop prizing the Slytherins. A habit which had led to more than one argument between her and Judy in the past.

Judy had never understood why Abigail was sorted into a house she didn't want to be in, because the Sorting Hat put Judy herself in the house of her own choice. She remembered all too clearly how she was the only one in her year who gave the Sorting Hat so much trouble with picking a house. Gryffindor had definitely been the preferred choice, but Judy wished to be placed in any house but Gryffindor so badly that in the end the Hat had picked Ravenclaw for her. It was the same house as her mother's.

Gryffindor, however, had always taken up a special place in her heart, for it was impossible to ignore her ties to that house. Remus, James and Lily had all been in Gryffindor and so had her father. He was the reason why she had pleaded the Sorting Hat to place her somewhere else. She had always avoided anything that could tie her to her father. Judy was brought up to be cautious about everything she said and did and so she applied that caution to everything she had come across in her life.

'I'm definitely going to be in Hufflepuff!' Judy was drawn back to reality by the young girl's statement. She looked at the short strawberry blond hair, till Remus pulled her along.

They strolled past most of the other shopping windows, but Judy couldn't help but stop to look at the new Firebolt which was on display at Quality Quidditch Supplies.

For a moment she saw Fred and George flying through the Hogwarts' Quidditch stadium on the broom before her, beating their Bludgers at every Slytherin player who got in their way. Judy smiled. Then her mind wandered to another Quidditch player. He flew the broom with more skill than she had ever seen before, his red hair ruffling in the wind…

'Come on,' said Lupin as he pulled her along again. 'You can watch enough Quidditch when you're in school.' Judy smiled as they continued their way, doing her best to hide the disappointment caused by the disturbance of her daydream. They weren't all that far along as Lupin suddenly froze.

'What's wrong?' Judy quickly looked around.

'It's Harry,' said Lupin hoarsely. Judy looked at him and then followed his gaze to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Harry Potter sat at one of the small tables on the terrace, flanked by his two best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.

'Yes, that's Harry,' said Judy softly, quickly looking away as her eyes crossed Harry's. Dumbledore had warned her in her first year to keep her distance from Harry; he was another link to her past which she had to stay away from. Judy wasn't about to break her promise when the headmaster had already requested her presence in his office at the start of term.

'He looks exactly like James,' said Lupin gently.

'Yes…yes he does,' said Judy absently, for her eyes had been caught by something else. A few meters away from them, fixed to a lantern pole by a sticking charm, hung a crisp new wanted poster.

'Except his eyes…' said Lupin, as Judy's eyes were now fixed on the wanted poster.

Sirius Black was screaming at her, trying to escape from the hands holding him in the frame. Judy had to do her utmost to resist the feeling of wanting to reach out to him, as she remembered how she had reached out to him the night her mother had been murdered. The only difference was that this time she was the one who felt the need to give comfort.

'….they're Lily's.'

'Yes, yes they are…' Judy looked past the poster to find a young boy, holding up copies of the Daily Prophet. The front page wore the same picture as the wanted poster.

'Sirius Black still at large! Come read all about it!' called the young boy as he sold a copy to an elderly couple. 'Mass murderer still roaming the streets!'

'Remus…' said Judy in a whisper. Her throat constricted with emotion, making her feel like she was about to choke.

'I can't believe how much he's grown…' said Lupin, still looking at Harry.

'Remus…' repeated Judy, her voice now breaking as her eyes went back and forth between the poster and the newspaper stand.

Her heart was beating fast, her head was throbbing and her vision went blurry for a few seconds as she saw a flash of green light in a darkened room. She grabbed Lupin's arm as her legs threatened to give way.

'What's wrong, sweetheart?' asked Lupin concerned. He followed her gaze, looking at the poster for a few moments in silence. 'Come on,' he put an arm around her, 'let's go home and have a nice cup of tea.'

Judy quickly wiped away a tear from her cheek as she allowed Lupin to lead her back to Flourish and Blotts. The flashes of her past had gone as soon as they came, but the feeling of fear still made her heart ache. She tightened her hold on Lupin's arm as they entered the bookstore, holding onto to the secure feeling of having him near her and not being alone. But despite his presence, Judy still felt the same loneliness as the night her mother was murdered, while she had hidden under the bed in the dead silent bedroom, fourteen years ago.

&

_Darkness. Judy was surrounded by darkness as she stood in what she knew was the smallest room in the house. She watched at the small bundle, sleeping in the oak crib only a few paces away from her. Judy took a few steps forward to look at the little girl. Her breath caught in her throat as the small blue eyes flew open and stared at the ceiling. Judy knew what was coming as the little girl took hold of the small wooden bars and pulled herself up. _

_As the door burst open, Judy turned on her heel and let out a small cry as she saw her mother. Surrounded by the hallway light, Briana Byrne rushed over to her young daughter and lifted her to her chest. Judy stood frozen to the ground as her mother rushed back into the hallway. _

'_Mother!' The call echoed in Judy's head. _

'_What is it?' The young witch put her hands over her ears, but failed to drown out the sentences that followed. _

'_They're here. You and father must hide.' _

'_I'll get him.' A blast indicated the door was blown open. _

'_Avada Kedavra!' _

'_No!' Judy's legs moved without her knowledge as she followed her mother to her bedroom. She slipped in, just as Briana turned to close the door. _

_Judy leaned against the wall, trying to still her breathing as she watched her mother push the little girl under the bed. She barely registered the whispered words that her mother spoke. Briana aimed her wand at her daughter and silenced her with a wordless spell. _

_Judy felt how tears spilled over her cheeks as her mother turned to face the door and apologized to her father. _

'_Alohamora!' The door swung open and the Death Eater entered the room, his wand aimed at Briana's heart. _

'_No,' Judy whispered as she watched helplessly._

'_I knew they would send you,' said Briana, looking into the man's eyes._

'_No, do something,' Judy's voice was hoarser than ever due to the emotions raging through her. _

'_Then you also know you are going to die,' he said in a cold voice. 'Avada Kedavra!' _

Judy awoke with a scream. As she instinctively scanned the room, she realised her cheeks were covered with tears and brushed them away with her hands. She leaned over to light the candle on her bed stand as the door of her room flew open, making her scream once more.

'What's happened? What's wrong?!' Lupin looked at her from the doorway. He looked slightly insane with his hair unkempt and his widened eyes.

'I'm fine,' said Judy softly. She pushed herself up as Lupin walked over to her.

'You don't look fine,' retorted Lupin, concerned.

'I dreamt about my mother,' she held her duvet firmly as the images of her dream flashed before her eyes. 'About the night she was killed.'

'I see,' Lupin sat down at the edge of her bed. He brushed a strand of her long dark hair from her damp forehead. 'Well, I expected you to have nightmares again.'

'What do you mean? Again?' asked Judy confused.

'When you first came to live here you used to have a lot of bad dreams,' said Lupin. 'You of course had had them after your mother died, but they returned when Sirius was captured. I'd find you hiding under the bed, huddled among a mass of teddy bears to protect you. It lasted for a few months, but they stopped after a while.'

'You never told me about that.'

'You didn't seem to remember having those dreams after a while, I thought you'd be better off not knowing. I didn't want to cause you any more pain,' explained Lupin.

'Why would they come back now?' asked Judy, confused.

'Because you're worried for your father,' said Lupin gently. 'And I understand you are, but…Judy you need to be careful.'

'I've been careful my entire life,' said Judy. 'Why would that change now?'

'Because you haven't seen him in such a long time and he might…he might ask you to help him.'

'Remus,' Judy sighed as she leaned back against her pillow. 'I'm not stupid…I may believe he is innocent, but I won't be stupid enough to help him. I know he's a convicted felon.'

'Just promise me that if anything happens or he tries to contact you, you let me know straight away.' 'Lupin looked into her eyes.

'I'll send you the fastest owl,' said Judy with a small smile. 'All right?'

'Actually, you won't have to send me an owl,' said Lupin softly.

'What do you mean?' asked Judy confused, as she didn't take her eyes of him.

'I'm going to Hogwarts with you,' said Lupin carefully.

'You're what?!' exclaimed Judy in disbelief. 'Remus, I don't need a bodyguard to protect me from my father(!)'

'No, it's not like that!' Lupin laughed at her confused expression. 'Do you remember that letter I got from Hogwarts a few weeks ago?'

'The one you didn't want to talk about.'

'Yes, that one. It was a letter from Professor Dumbledore if I wanted to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.' Judy's eyes lit up as she saw the smile playing across Lupin's face.

'You are going to be the new DADA teacher?!' A broad grin played across Judy's face. 'That's great! I'll definitely pass my NEWT next year if you teach me!'

'Judy, if there's one course you don't need my help in…' Lupin looked at her. She had always been good at Defence against the Dark Arts. It was the subject she was most eager to learn about, beside Potions. It wasn't so hard to be motivated to learn how to protect herself against what had killed her mother…

'Oh all right. But I'm still glad you've accepted. You're going to make a great teacher, Remus,' said Judy excitedly.

'Are you sure you want to be taught by me, then?' Lupin asked seriously.

'Of course I am!' Judy looked at him with wide eyes, surprised that he would think otherwise. 'I've always told you you should teach.'

'So you don't mind me being around at school all year?'

'Hang on, is that why you didn't tell me till now? Because you thought I didn't want you to teach me?' Judy looked at him.

'I wasn't sure,' said Lupin apologetically.

'Well then, now you are,' said Judy with a smile, making Lupin's lips curl up as well. He looked at her in silence for a while. As Judy was about to ask him why he was looking at her like that, he bend over and kissed her forehead.

'Try and get some more sleep,' said Lupin softly.

'I'll try,' Judy smiled at him as he got up from the bed and walked to the landing. Duncan slipped into the room as Lupin closed the door behind him. The black cat leapt onto Judy's bed and lay down beside her pillow. She looked into the yellow eyes as the floorboards on the landing screeched while Lupin walked back to his own bedroom. The sound stirred something in Judy's memory…the floorboards on the landing of her parent's house had made the same screeching sound. The memory took her back to the dream she awoke from half an hour ago…

She pulled up her duvet to chase away the cold shivers running down her spine, making Duncan leap off the bed again as he meowed in protest. It was not the dream in itself which drove her to pull the duvet even further up and over her head, but the emotions and feelings of foreboding which formed a cold knot in her stomach. Something she hadn't felt in fourteen years and which she had wished she would never feel again. She knew that the return of that feeling was because something had changed in the past few weeks. After years of not wanting to know anything of what might happen, she now found herself in a position where she was eager to know more about her father's situation. That change seemed to have opened a gate she had closed off a long time ago. A gate which she hoped she could close up again before it would change her life any further.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The Journey to Hogwarts**

It was the first of September and like every year King's Cross Station was packed with Muggles. None of them seemed to notice that young witches and wizards, escorted by their parents or a guardian, were on their way to an old scarlet steam engine which would take them to Hogwarts' school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Judy, however, could easily spot the young witches and wizards, among the mass of Muggle children. Especially the soon to be first years stood out as they were the only ones pushing their trolley with a tense expression on their face. Judy guessed the tension was due to the stories they had been told by their elder brothers and sisters. She herself had never felt that tension, since Lupin hadn't told her any stories about being expelled from school if you couldn't do a spell properly or anything of the sort. The only thing that had been on her mind at that time was the opportunity to finally do magic. Judy remembered all too well how excited she had been when Lupin had first escorted her to platform nine and three quarters. She thought it was a shame that the two anxious young witches that passed her, didn't feel the same way she had six years before.

'Now, remember what we agreed upon,' said Lupin for what must have been the third time that morning. Judy looked up at one of the clocks hanging above platform nine; it was twenty to eleven, meaning that the Hogwarts' express would be leaving in twenty minutes.

'Judy,' said Lupin sternly. She looked up into his eyes.

'Yes, yes, I'll remember,' said Judy dismissively as she readjusted the wickerwork basket which stood on her trunk, to make sure her cat Duncan wouldn't topple off the trolley.

'You'll remember what?' urged Lupin as he pushed along his own trolley, with his trunk and his old briefcase on top. Judy had often thought of buying him a new briefcase, but Lupin seemed to be attached to the one he had now and said there was no reason to replace it. Judy had decided not to point out the peeling letters on the right corner and the fact that it was held together only by knotted string. She knew there was no persuading Lupin once his mind was set.

'You'll remember what?' repeated Lupin impatiently.

'I will remember that I am not allowed to call you my uncle or by your first name when we're at Hogwarts,' said Judy, somewhat annoyed for having to repeat her promise for the umpteenth time.

'And…?' urged Lupin again.

'And when in the presence of other students and teachers,-'

'or anybody else,' interrupted Lupin.

'Or anybody else,' repeated Judy. 'I will address you with Professor Lupin. I promise I won't forget, Remus.' Lupin looked at her disapprovingly. 'What? We're not through the barrier yet!' said Judy with a smile.

'It wouldn't hurt if you'd start practicing,' offered Lupin. 'Oh, and don't forget to talk to your friends about this. They can't tell anybody about us.'

'I'll talk to them on the train,' promised Judy as they reached the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

A small boy with curly blond hair rushed at the brick wall, the wheels of his trolley screeching ominously, and then disappeared through the wall of stone. Judy looked at the Muggles around them as two other boys, with caged owls on their trunks, walked toward the barrier. It never ceased to amaze her how Muggles seemed to overlook everything that happened right under their nose.

'Well,' said Judy with a smile, looking at Lupin, 'after you.' He nodded and ran toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Judy watched him disappear without any of the Muggles noticing. She found it funny that after all those times of going through the barrier he still took it at a run.

Judy pushed her trolley toward the stones. Duncan purred in his wickerwork basket, his yellow eyes scanning the platform. He lay curled up in a corner, his black fur protruding through several openings. Judy looked around as she leaned against the barrier and when no one looked she let herself and her trolley fall through the wall.

As she emerged on the other side, Lupin stood a few meters ahead of her and turned around, the trolley with his large trunk stood beside him with his briefcase still on top.

'I suppose this is goodbye for now,' he said softly. 'Do you want me to help you with those?' He gestured at her trunk and the purple backpack she carried.

'I'll be fine,' said Judy reassuringly.

'Hey Jude!' Willow waved at her from a distance, flanked by her parents.

'Will's father can help me,' said Judy, waving back. 'Besides, we're not supposed to be seen together too much, right?'

'Yes,' said Lupin gently. 'I'll see you at school.'

'Yes,' said Judy with a smile. 'See you at the castle.'

'Goodbye, sweetheart,' Lupin cast her a smile.

'Goodbye, Professor.' She returned his smile and then walked toward Willow, still looking at her from a distance.

'Cutting it close, aren't you?' said Willow with a grin.

'Always,' Judy smiled at her.

'I'll help you with that,' said Mr. Waters, a tall and handsome man, somewhere in his forties. Judy knew he worked as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. His short dark hair and tanned skin stood out against his light suit and tie.

'Thank you, Mr. Waters,' Judy picked up the wickerwork basket as Duncan hissed. 'He'll never forgive Lupin for locking him up in the luggage carriage in my first year.' Judy explained, making Willow smile.

'Well, you girls better hurry up,' said Mrs. Waters, a tall and slender woman whose long red hair was identical to Willow's. 'You two behave yourselves now, I don't want any more letters from Professor Snape.' Her bright blue eyes met Willow's brown ones.

'I'll make sure the owl gets lost then,' said Willow before kissing her mother goodbye. Mrs. Waters sighed deeply.

'Don't worry, Jess. Judy will look after her…' said Mr. Waters with a wink at Judy. She thought he was rather proud of his daughter to stand up against Snape. Any parent should be, Judy thought truthfully.

'Come on, let's go,' Willow gave her father a quick hug and then took Judy's hand to drag her to the nearest carriage. They stepped inside at the sound of the whistle, turned and waved at Willow's parents. Judy couldn't help but think on how she would have wanted her own parents to wave her goodbye every year.

Willow tugged her hand and pulled her from her day dream. 'Let's find a compartment before they're all full.'

In the first compartment they passed, Oliver Wood was talking to Katie Bell. Alicia Spinnet sat opposite the other two Gryffindors, emerged in 'Quidditch through the Ages' by Kennilworthy Whisp. Judy had intended to walk past, but she couldn't as Oliver Wood waved at her and asked her to come join them. Judy was thankful as Willow said they were looking for Fred and George and quickly pulled her along.

'Close call, huh?' said Willow as they passed a compartment full of Slytherins. Judy noticed Draco Malfoy flanked by his two best mates Crabbe and Goyle. 'Do you reckon Wood still fancies you?'

'I don't want to talk about it,' said Judy, thinking back on the awkward break up she had experienced with Oliver the year before. After going steady for a few months, Judy had realized that she couldn't talk about Quidditch 24 hours a day, Oliver on the other hand could. She had had a hard time trying to make clear to him that she just wanted to remain friends. In the end Oliver seemed to have understood, though their friendship had always been a bit different after their break up and their conversations were suddenly filled with awkward silences.

In the third compartment Lee Jordan sat next to Angelina Johnston. They sat a bit closer to each other than Judy had expected them to. Quidditch seemed to be the topic of conversation in that compartment as well, though Judy overheard a few whispered words which had nothing to do with Quidditch and quickly followed Willow to prevent from hearing any more.

'Finally, I thought we'd never find one,' said Willow as she entered an empty compartment. Judy put the basket with her cat down on her right hand side. Duncan impatiently scratched the wickerwork from inside.

Judy took off her purple backpack and pushed it on the luggage rack above her seat. She sat down and watched Willow slip into her robes, take her Prefect badge from her backpack and pin it to her chest. Willow was made Prefect the year before, but neither she, nor Judy, nor the Weasley twins knew why Willow out of all people had been picked. When it came to respecting authority and listening to teachers, Willow had never been the best example. Though Judy had to admit that Willow seemed to have turned around a bit with every teacher since she had been made Prefect. That is, every teacher but Snape.

'I take it you have to be off?' asked Judy.

'Not just yet,' said Willow, taking a small bundle from her backpack. It was wrapped in bright green paper.

'What's that?' asked Judy, confused.

'Your birthday present…' said Willow with a grin as she handed it to Judy. 'Now, I have five minutes before I have to be at the other side of the train and I want to see your face when you open it…'

'So it'd better hurry?' concluded Judy with a smile. She laid the package on her lap and carefully took off the Spellotape, holding the paper together. Willow sat across her and looked at her attentively.

Judy shoved the pieces of paper aside and took out a black bundle of fabric. As she held it up in front of her the fabric unrolled and she saw the green emblem of the Irish Quidditch team, blazing against the black backdrop.

'Will, this is…' Judy's voice faltered as her eye fell on the slant golden writing, appearing just under the team's emblem. 'Oh…oh…' Judy spluttered, 'oh, you're joking! Is it really…?!'

'Aidan Lynch,' said Willow with a smile. 'Ireland's best Seeker.'

'But how…' stammered Judy. 'Merlin's beard, how did you get this?!'

'Well, believe it or not, but I'd just bought this T-shirt and then my Dad insisted on going to a pub to have a drink. So there I was, enjoying my Butterbeer and then this Lynch guy walks in. I didn't recognize him at first, because…well, you know I'm not so much into Quidditch as you are. But my Dad recognized him straight away and pointed him out to me and Mum.'

'And you just walked up to him and asked him to sign the T-shirt?' asked Judy in disbelief. Willow simply nodded. 'Will, you didn't!'

'Well, of course I did,' said Willow with a grin. 'I don't adore the guy, it's not so hard for me to ask him for an autograph without turning into a beetroot.'

'Now, how would you know,-'

'I know,' said Willow before Judy could finish. 'I know you. Believe me, I know.' Judy smiled at her.

'Thanks, Will. I really love it,' said Judy truthfully.

'You're welcome,' said Willow with a smile. 'Just promise me you'll keep it away from Fred and George.'

'I suppose I'd better,' said Judy in agreement, as she still looked at the shirt in front of her. 'They'll nick it first chance they get.' Willow grinned at her.

'Listen, I have to go to the other Prefects and patrol the corridors. But I'll be back as soon as possible, OK?' said Willow as she pushed her backpack up on the luggage rack. 'Fred and George are bound to be here soon, right?'

'I'll be fine,' assured Judy. Willow cast her a guilty smile. 'Go. I'll see you later.' She laid the T-shirt beside her and opened the wickerwork basket. 'Duncan will keep me company.' The black cat slowly stepped onto the seat and stretched every limb carefully.

'All right, see you later,' Willow gave her a small wave and walked down the corridor.

'We'll be fine, won't we Duncan,' said Judy softly, scratching the cat behind his ear as he settled in her lap. Judy caressed his fur, making Duncan purr softly. It took her a while to realise she was humming a tune, a tune she recognized from somewhere but couldn't quite place…She stared out the window. She remembered how she had trouble getting to sleep as a child when she was alone. How she would cry till someone would come and how her father…how he sang her to sleep…

'Ah, finally!' Judy started at Fred's voice. Duncan leapt of her lap, hissing. 'You should lock him up with the rest of the luggage next time,' said Fred, eyeing the cat carefully.

'I'll lock you up if you won't stop giving me heart attacks,' said Judy, still a bit shaken. 'You're not alone, are you?'

'No, me and George bumped into Willow in the corridor. You know how those two can get…I'd rather be in here with you…' He sat down next to her. 'I suppose you've done all your homework for the first term already?'

'Come on Fred, even I am not that bad…' Judy rolled her eyes. 'I've just read the first chapter of every new book.'

'Then I wasn't far off,' said Fred with a grin. Duncan settled on Judy's lap again. 'I heard the Prides did well against the Falcons,' said Fred, starting with their favourite subject to talk about.

'Yes, I heard it on the radio,' said Judy. 'I can't believe they still let those Broadmoors play, though…they must have knocked out half of the players in the British and Irish league…they almost knocked out McCormack last week…and the Quaffle wasn't even anywhere near the goalposts…'

'That's just the risk of the game, Jude,' said Fred with a grin, 'besides the Prides are up a place again, so you shouldn't be complaining. It's not like they're anywhere near the Cannons…'

'I wouldn't say that too loud…Willow supports them,' said Judy as she stroked Duncan's dark fur.

'What?! That girl doesn't know anything about Quidditch, does she?' said Fred in disbelief. 'If George would know…'

'He'd still fancy her,' offered Judy with a smile.

'Yeah, he would,' agreed Fred. 'I guess we should start dating too before I end up alone…' Their eyes met and they laughed.

'All right, what did I miss out on?' George entered the compartment and sat down opposite them.

'Judy and I are going to date,' said Fred, doing his best to sound serious.

'Are you now?' George looked from Fred to Judy. 'I rather had the impression you had taken fancy on another Weasley.' Judy looked at him, somewhat confused.

'Oh, come on George,' said Fred, 'you know I'm the better looking one…' Judy smiled, but stopped as she realized who George was referring too.

'Not me Fred,' George rolled his eyes, 'Charlie!'

'Ooooh,' said Fred, looking at Judy with a grin.

'You…you can't be serious,' said Judy, painfully aware of how warm her cheeks were feeling. 'Charlie…your brother is way too old for me.' She didn't remember ever feeling more uncomfortable.

'Well, they say age doesn't matter when you're in love,' offered Fred, still grinning at her.

'Well…well it does to me,' said Judy quickly, undoing her pony tail so her hair fell over her still warm cheeks. She looked anywhere but at the twins as her stomach ached due to her nervousness.

She looked back at the twins as she heard a stifled laugh. Fred and George both grinned at her. 'You two….are a nightmare…' said Judy, shaking her head and feeling quite relieved.

'Oh come on,' laughed Fred. 'It's just too much fun, because it's so easy.'

'Yeah, we were only kidding, Jude,' said George. 'You know us…'

'Yeah…I do,' Judy smiled at them and then looked back out the window again. Her warm cheeks were fortunately cooling off again. Duncan purred contently a she ruffled through his fur.

'What's that?' Judy turned and followed Fred's gaze to the black bundle beside her. She didn't speak as she picked it up and held it in front of her. The twins' eyes widened as they looked at the emblem and golden writing underneath.

'How in the world did you get this?' asked Fred, quickly taking the T-shirt from Judy's hands. 'It's real, isn't it?'

'Yes, it's real,' said Judy with a smile. 'Willow gave it to me just now, for my Birthday.' George grinned at his twin as he grabbed the T-shirt from his hands.

'All right,' said Fred reluctantly. 'She's not totally ignorant when it comes to Quidditch.' Judy smiled at them as she took the shirt back from George.

'May be if you're nice to her, she'll get one for you too,' offered Judy as she cast George a grin.

'May be if you're nice to her, she'll give you…'

'There's a lady present, Fred,' said Judy quickly as she folded up the T-shirt again.

'What? Where?' asked Fred, looking around the compartment.

'You're hopeless,' Judy smiled at him.

As the conversation turned back to Quidditch and the train rode further north, the scenery turned more wild. The sky slowly darkened and the clouds thickened. Judy knew they definitely wouldn't make it to Hogwarts in dry weather.

It was half past twelve as the old witch with the food trolley reached their compartment. Judy bought four cauldron cakes, four chocolate frogs and a box of Bertie Bott's every flavour beans. She gave each twin a cauldron cake and a chocolate frog, ignoring their protests that she didn't have to give them anything. Judy pointed out how she'd had lunch and dinner at their place during the summer and this was the least she could do in return. Neither twin protested after that and they both enjoyed the cake and chocolate.

Judy knew Fred and George didn't feel comfortable about her buying them sweets, mainly because they couldn't do much in return. But a little persuasion from her side, usually made their protests die away, just like it had now.

Judy put the fourth cauldron cake and chocolate frog aside for Willow who was bound to return within the hour. She took a small piece from her own cake and gave it to Duncan, who took it without hesitation. He purred contently as he lay on her lap. Judy then took a bite from her cake and looked out the window as the landscape gradually grew even more rough.

&

'Shouldn't we wake her?' asked Fred, looking over at Willow. She lay against George's shoulder and had spent the last two hours vast asleep.

'No, let her sleep,' said George quickly. Judy smiled, knowing how much George liked these moments.

The sky outside had darkened over the past hours and rain now lashed against the window. The lanterns above the luggage racks and the corridors shone brightly, bathing the train in a warm glow. Judy thought they would reach Hogwarts within the hour and already looked forward to the opening feast. She couldn't wait to see the rest of her friends again.

'We'll wake her when we arrive at Hogsmeade,' offered Judy. 'She's already got her robes on anyway.'

'What about that cat of yours?' asked George, looking at the black bundle which now lay to Judy's left. 'We should wake him too…that is, if he's still breathing…' Duncan shifted position as if to indicate that he was just resting.

'Well, we'd better wake them soon,' suggested Fred, 'the train is slowing down already.'

Judy frowned. 'But we can't be there yet…' She looked out of the window and didn't find a sign of the castle. The sound of the rain and the wind grew louder as the sound of the steam engine started to fade. Judy caressed Duncan in an effort to chase away the cold knot in her stomach. A knot caused by a feeling of foreboding she vaguely recognised.

'Why else would we be stopping then?' Fred grabbed the door post as the train stopped with a jolt. Willow awoke with a scream as Judy evaded her purple backpack which had toppled of the luggage rack. Several yelps combined with thuds of luggage hitting the ground echoed through the train. Judy quickly picked up her own backpack and stashed it back on the rack above her as George spoke comforting words to Willow and explained to her what had happened.

'What's going on?' asked Judy, looking at no one in particular. Duncan hissed uncomfortably as he now lay on his side. He quickly got back up, but instead of lying down on the seat again he looked at the window.

'I don't know,' said Fred honestly. 'I,-' He broke off as all the lights suddenly went out. Judy instinctively reached for Fred's hand who took hers without question and squeezed it gently. Having been best friends for four years, Fred knew about her fear of the dark.

'Is everybody all right?' asked Judy hoarsely.

'We're fine,' said George reassuringly. They didn't speak as they heard the doors of the train carriage open in the distance. Duncan hissed, which Judy recognized as a sign of fear.

'Something's coming aboard,' said Willow. Despite the dark Judy could see George putting an arm around Willow and pulling her close. 'What could possibly be coming aboard?!'

'Calm down,' said Judy, putting all her effort in making her own voice sound calm. 'May be we'll hear something…'

Whatever they had intended to hear, however, was drowned out by the excited and nervous chatter coming from every compartment. All of the students were wondering why the train had stopped and discussing the possible reasons, blocking every other possible sound from reaching Judy's ears. She knew they wouldn't find out anything unless someone went out to investigate.

Judy took a deep breath, let go of Fred's hand, got up and walked to the compartment door. She took another deep breath before opening it. The moonlight bathed the hallway in a weak white glow, making it possible for Judy to see several students looking out of their compartments. Some had formed small groups in the hallway and looked back and forth to see the reason why the train had stopped. Judy looked to her left at a group of Hufflepuffs as a distant rattling sound came from her right. The excited whispers and discussions on that end of the train seemed to fade as the rattling sound grew louder.

Judy looked to her right just in time to see a mass of light blond hair run into her. Draco Malfoy lay on the ground and looked up at her, fear staining his eyes.

'What's the matter?' asked Judy concerned as Malfoy scrambled to his feet.

'Let me in!' he said crudely as he pushed Judy back. She nearly fell over, but Fred was already behind her and caught her before she fell.

'Get back to your own compartment, Malfoy!' snapped George.

'I would if I could, you bloody idiot!' snapped Malfoy back as he closed the compartment door. 'But I can't get back, I can't get past it.' He shivered.

'Past what?' asked Judy, who was back on her feet and out of Fred's arms.

'There was a De…' Malfoy took a deep breath. 'There are Dementors on the train.'

'Dementors?!' Willow asked anxiously. 'But there can't…' she stammered.

'Well, there are, you stupid,-'

'OY!' said George fuming. 'You finish that sentence and I'll make you wish you were facing a Dementor!'

'George, please,' said Judy, looking around the compartment and barely discerning who was who in the dark. 'You can do to Draco whatever you want, but now is not the time for arguing.'

'Then what do you suggest…' George's voice faltered as the rattling sound grew louder. Duncan's hissing became louder as well as he backed away from the compartment door.

'It's coming this way,' said Fred.

'Dementors,' said Judy, thinking back on her last year of Defence against the Dark Arts and cursing Lockhart for having them copy his books all year long. The only thing she had learned was what spell to use against a Dementor, but she had never learned how to do a proper Patronus charm. 'Can any of you do a Patronus?'

'What is a Patronus?' said Fred and George in unison. Judy wished they had spent more attention in class.

'Well, you know I can't,' said Willow. 'But you can, can't you? Last year you had that glowing wisp…'

'Which is hardly a Patronus,' said Judy. She cast a look at Malfoy who stood behind her. His blond hair was the only thing which she could discern in the dark, making him fairly easy to recognize.

'I'm a third year!' he yelled at them as if they were retarded. George muttered something under his breath.

'But what are Dementors doing here?' asked Willow.

'What are Dementors doing here?!' asked Malfoy sarcastically. 'Haven't you been reading the Prophet?'

'They want Black,' said Judy, looking at the others. She noticed they all had their wands in their hands, some of them glowing vaguely at the tip. Then she suddenly remembered how Lupin had told her that Dementors weren't liable to forgive and realized how much danger they would be in if a Dementor found them with their wands drawn. 'Put them away,' she said quickly.

'But you said,-'

'Forget what I said, George. Put hem away!' They all complied, Malfoy hesitated for a moment but hid his wand under his cloak as George muttered something in a dangerous tone.

Judy put her own wand away as well. She knew that if a Dementor felt threatened by her she would be in more danger than any of the others. The Dementors after all were looking for Sirius Black. A man whose thoughts they knew, a man whose feelings they had sucked away for all those years, a man that she shared the same blood with…

'Listen…' Judy stopped talking as the rattling sound was suddenly very near.

Malfoy pushed Judy aside and stepped as far away from the compartment door as he could. Judy heard the door open behind her. She turned on her heel and watched a scabbed, glistening hand wrap itself around the door post. George's silhouette pulled Willow's closer as she yelped. Fred backed away as the Dementor came into full view beside him.

An intense cold swept over Judy and she barely managed to step away from the cloaked figure before her. Her limbs felt frozen as the cold spread through her body. The Dementor bent down to Willow, who tried to back away in George's arms.

Judy looked at the situation before her, the dark making it difficult for her to see what exactly was going on. She didn't think twice, however, about which course of action to take.

Judy quickly stepped between the Dementor and Willow, ignoring the fear in her heart. The Dementor turned toward her and within a second Judy felt the happiness being sucked from her body. She bit her lip, trying to hide some of her memories for the Dementor but it was no use.

'No,' she said softly, not hearing or seeing anything of what was going on around her.

'_Judy, y__ou need to be as quiet as a mouse__!' _

The Dementor bent closer, his mouth inches away from hers. Judy shivered as the cold seemed to freeze her heart. The Dementor's rattling breath chilled her to the bone.

'_I'm so sorry, Sirius.' _

'No,' she whispered again, a tear running down her face.

'_Avada Kedavra!'_

Judy felt Fred take her hand, the Dementor looked at him, distracted. Judy knew she had to grasp her chance.

'No,' she said firmly. The Dementor looked at her again. 'We are not hiding Sirius Black!' The Dementor leaned in again. 'We are not hiding Sirius Black!' The Dementors' mouth was inches away from hers.

'We are not hiding Sirius Black!' said Fred.

'We are not hiding Sirius Black!' said George.

Judy watched the Dementor draw back as Willow joined the twins and called out the same sentence. She felt the happiness return to her body, closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she saw the Dementor had disappeared.

She sat down in her seat again and took a deep breath. Judy felt cold and shivery, but also very much relieved that the cloaked figure and its accompanying cold had gone. Duncan settled on her lap in an effort to comfort her for which Judy was grateful. No one spoke in the moments that followed.

As the lights went back on, Judy saw that the other three stared at her. Malfoy sat next to the window and looked outside.

'Is he all right?' asked Judy, looking at no one in particular.

'Oy, Malfoy!' said Fred. 'Are you OK?' Malfoy shook his head as if he awoke from a dream and then looked at all of them. His watery eyes were stained with fear. His pointed face seemed even more pale than usual.

'Of course, I'm all right!' Malfoy snapped. He got to his feet, walked to the door and turned on his heel. 'If any of you gits tell anybody about this, you're dead.' George arched a brow at him. Malfoy cast a short glance around the corner and left without another word.

'Well, you're welcome!' called Fred after him. 'What a git, I bet he wet himself.' Fred exchanged a grin with George. Judy smiled as well and met Willow's eyes, she was still staring at her.

'What?'

'What just happened?' asked Willow.

'What do you mean?'

'That Dementor went for you,' said Willow, 'only you.'

'Come on, don't be silly,' said Judy, 'he tried to get to you first.'

'He was just sniffing us, or whatever they do,' said George, 'once he spotted you…'

Fred and Willow stared at her in agreement.

'I was just the only one to defy him. That's why he went for me,' explained Judy. The others still looked at her. 'Come on, why else would a Dementor come after me?!'

George looked at her for a moment and then cast her a small smile. 'You're right, he can't have mistaken you for Black.' The others smiled as well and Judy, looking out the window let out a small sigh of relief.

She quickly looked back to the compartment door as she heard footsteps coming closer to their compartment. Duncan hissed and leapt off her lap again. Fred an George both reached for their wands, while Willow looked more calm than Judy had ever seen her before.

'Dementors glide…they don't have feet,' said Willow looking from one twin to the other. They lowered their wands, but didn't put them away. Judy looked at the doorway as a shabby looking man stopped and looked inside.

'Everything all right in here?' asked Lupin, looking at all of them but lingering on Judy a moment longer.

'Mr. Lupin?!' exclaimed Willow in surprise.

'I take it you haven't told them yet?' said Lupin, walking inside the compartment, turning and closing the door.

'Told us what?' asked Fred, looking from Lupin to Judy.

'My uncle is going to be our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher,' explained Judy.

'Wicked,' said George, grinning.

'No!' said Willow, making everybody in the compartment look at her.

'You don't want me teaching you?' asked Lupin, sitting down between Judy and Fred. Judy smiled, knowing how Lupin thought she felt about Fred.

'No, I mean, I'd love to have you as a teacher, but…well…the DADA job is jinxed. Quirrel died from it!'

'Quirrel died because he was in league with Vol-, ' said Judy, making the twins and Willow jerk uncomfortably, 'fine, You Know Who'.

'And considering I am not,' said Lupin, 'I am sure I will be fine.' Willow looked at him, not totally convinced. 'Listen, I do not have much time and Judy can tell you more later, but you are the only ones who know that I am Judy's uncle. I'd appreciate it if that knowledge stays within this compartment. I don't want any of the students to think I will favour Judy in class.'

'Your secret is safe with us, sir,' said Fred and George in unison.

'I won't say anything,' promised Willow.

'Good, now if you'll excuse me I'm going to have a word with the driver about how those Dementors got on the train.' Lupin got to his feet.

'Then you can also tell him to keep those Dementors out of our compartment in the future,' said Fred, making Lupin spin around and look at Judy.

'There was a Dementor in here?' He asked, doing his best to keep his concern from sounding in his voice. Judy could tell how worried he really was, having known him for so many years.

'Yes,' continued Fred, as if not noticing the exchange between Lupin and Judy at all, 'he came in here and went for Judy and-'

'He what?!' asked Lupin.

'I'm fine,' said Judy quickly, 'and that is not exactly how it went. He came in here and it looked as if he was going toward Willow so I got up to distract him.'

'And she did,' said Willow, 'that…thing was only inches away from her.' Lupin's eyes widened, Judy thought quickly on a way to calm him.

'I told him we weren't hiding Black in here and the others joined me and he went away,' said Judy, looking Lupin straight in the eye.

'It was weird, though,' said George. 'It looked to us like it was after Judy. But then she made us realize that she must have opposed the most threat to him, standing up to face him, so that's why he picked her.'

'Right,' said Lupin, his eyes still stained with concern. 'Well…the Dementors have gone now, so you all should be fine. I am sure Professor Dumbledore will talk to you about it over dinner tonight. I really need to talk to that driver.'

He opened the door and then suddenly turned on his heel. His right hand went into his pocket and he drew out a bar of chocolate. 'Here,' he handed it to Fred who was nearest. 'Make sure all of you take a piece. It will make you feel better.' He cast a small smile at Judy, which didn't reach his eyes and then walked out of the compartment.

Fred broke the bar into four pieces and gave the others their share. As soon as Judy ate her piece she felt the warmth returning to her body. The chocolate lifted their spirits and soon they were talking about the opening feast and the many friends they would be reunited with.

'We'd better get into our robes,' said Fred, after a while. He got up and took his robes from the shelve above them. Judy opened her backpack and took out her blue Ravenclaw tie. She stroked it absently, looking outside the window as the twins started to get dressed.

Despite of the chocolate making her feel better, she couldn't forget about what had happened. The Dementor must have sensed something about her, because despite her telling the others it didn't went for her, she knew deep down that it did. A Dementor didn't come so close to giving you a kiss if it was only trying to identify you. Duncan lay down beside her and looked at her with his yellow eyes. Judy caressed his dark fur and savoured his warmth.

She reached into her bag again, but instead of her robes she drew out an already opened envelope. She had almost forgotten about her planned visit to Dumbledore. If it hadn't been for the Dementor, she probably would have worried more about what the headmaster of Hogwarts had to say to her. Now she could only think of the answers he might give her to her own questions. And especially to the question why a Dementor had come so close to kissing her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: **I have copied a line of McGonagall from JK and also Dumbledore's speech at the opening feast. As I want to stay as true to the book as I can, I couldn't live with myself if I would change their lines .

**Chapter 6**

**A Word of Caution**

Rain lashed against the window panes of the carriage, in which Judy, Willow and the Weasley twins rode up to the castle. Judy looked through the window behind her and watched two Thestrals pull the carriage forward. They looked like huge black, skeletal winged horses, with a dragon like head and neck. The Thestrals' white eyes shone brightly in the dark. Judy could see why most people avoided them and considered them a dark omen. However, Lupin had always told her that they were kind creatures, and not having seen any prove against that statement (safe for their dark appearance) she had always taken his word for it.

'Too bad we can't see them,' said Willow regretfully as she looked through the glass as well.

'I'll die a happy man, if I never see one in my life,' said George in disagreement. Willow turned back to him, her expression grave and guilty for her wish.

'It's all right, Will,' said Judy reassuringly. 'I think none of us ever really wants to see a Thestral.' She cast back one more glance at the black horses, pretending to see right through them and then turned back. None of her friends knew she had witnessed her mother's death and therefore could see the Thestrals pulling their carriage. It was one of the many secrets she had to keep from them. Something which she would have to continue to do, until it became clear who had killed her mother. After all if the person who was responsible for her mother's death found out that there was a witness to his crime…Judy didn't want to think of the possible consequences.

They rode on to a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked by stone columns with winged boars on top. As they passed the columns, Judy noticed two hooded Dementors standing guard on either side. She held her breath as the Dementor on her side leaned toward the carriage and she let out a long sigh as the carriage picked up speed on the sloping drive up to the castle.

Fred and George slipped out of their jackets as the carriage stopped in front of the stone steps leading up to the double oak front doors. Willow locked her arm with George as soon as she got out of the carriage. They ran toward the stone steps, hiding under George's coat so they wouldn't get wet. Judy held Duncan's wickerwork basket in one hand as she locked her arm with Fred's. They took the path to the entrance at a run and met up with Willow and George as they reached the shelter of the castle's stone walls.

They joined the crowd swarming up the steps, walked through the huge oak front doors and entered the cavernous Entrance Hall. The large hall was completely lit by torches, giving it a warm feeling as opposed to the dark and cold weather outside. Hundreds of trunks aligned the walls, waiting to be brought up to the dormitories by the house elves. At the far end of the rows of luggage lay the white marble staircase, leading to the upper floors. Judy put her purple backpack and the wickerwork basket on the trunk which was nearest. She quickly let Duncan out of his confinement and took him in her arms.

'Now, you can explore the castle all you want, but you need to be back in the dorm before midnight, all right?' Their eyes locked and the black cat blinked twice. Judy then quickly put him down and watched him trod off to the staircase, carefully avoiding the mass of children's feet which now filled the Entrance Hall. 'And don't bring back any mice!' Judy called after him, though she wasn't sure he could hear her over the chatter and laughter all around her.

'Oy! Lee, wait up!' Judy turned on her heel just in time to see Fred rush away to his mate Lee Jordan. George muttered a quick apology to Willow before he left and joined his twin as they walked through the open double doors leading to the Great Hall.

'We'd better hurry up too,' said Willow, 'Abigail is bound to forget to save us a seat.'

'Yes, but Chelsea won't,' offered Judy. 'I,-'

'Ms. Byrne!' A squeaky voice called over the excited chatter of the students around her.

'That's Flitwick,' said Willow, sounding confused. Professor Flitwick was the Charms teacher at Hogwarts and also the Head of Ravenclaw house. 'What does he want to see you for?'

'I don't know,' lied Judy and shrugged. 'Listen, you go inside and save me a seat. I'll see you later.'

'Yeah, OK,' said Willow, sounding somewhat disappointed. 'But I'll want to hear everything later.'

'Go, Will,' said Judy with a smile and made her way to Professor Flitwick, a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, who was waiting for her at the white marble staircase.

'Ah, there you are Ms. Byrne,' said Professor Flitwick, somewhat impatiently. 'Now, we'd better hurry up, because I have to get back to the Great Hall in a few minutes. I'm appointed to do the Sorting this year,' he said proudly as he pushed his chest forward.

'I thought Professor McGonagall did the Sorting every year, sir,' said Judy, somewhat confused. Professor Flitwick grimaced and turned on his heel without answering. He quickly made his way up the staircase.

'Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!' Judy looked at the origin of the familiar voice and saw how Harry Potter and Hermione Granger walked up to Professor McGonagall, a stern looking witch who usually wore her hair in a tight bun. Judy wondered why the two Gryffindors had to see their Head of House at the start of term.

'Ms. Byrne!' Professor Flitwick pulled her away from her thoughts and Judy quickly followed him up the staircase.

They proceeded to the Headmaster's office in silence. Judy was too taken up by what Dumbledore may had to say to her and by her own questions to think of anything to say to the little Professor bobbing ahead of her.

As they reached the seventh floor, Professor Flitwick was panting heavily and Judy had to admit she herself wouldn't mind sitting down for a while to catch her breath. She followed Professor Flitwick through a corridor, lit by torches, and stopped at his side as they reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

'Cauldron cake,' said Professor Flitwick and at his words the stone gargoyle leapt aside. The solid wall behind the statue then split in two and revealed a spiral stone staircase, rising up like an escalator.

'I shall leave you now,' said Professor Flitwick as he cast a glance at Judy. 'But after your conversation with the Headmaster I expect you to go straight to the opening feast, Ms. Byrne,' he said in his squeaky voice.

'Yes, Professor,' said Judy. She stepped onto the spiralling staircase which still moved slowly upward and watched after the Head of Ravenclaw house as he hurried back down the corridor.

Judy stepped off the spiral staircase as she reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office. She looked at the highly polished oak door for a while. The brass knocker shaped like a griffin felt familiar as she held it and she remembered her first and until now only visit to the Headmaster's office all too clearly.

Dumbledore had called her to his office after her first opening feast six years before. During their meeting he had impressed on her more than once that she could never tell anybody she was the daughter of Sirius Black. There were many wizards who might take their anger on Black out on her, good and bad. Judy had understood quickly, having Lupin tell her the same thing since he had taken her in on the night of James and Lily's death. Though being told the same by one of the greatest wizards of all time, did make her more aware of the possible consequences if her secrets were revealed. The consequences for her, as well as her family and friends.

Judy knocked on the door and a voice from inside told her to come in. Professor Dumbledore sat in the high chair behind his large claw-footed desk. He was an old wizard with several feet of long silver hair and a very crooked nose. His office was a large and beautiful circular room, aligned with several windows looking out on the breath taking landscape surrounding the castle. The main source of light came from a dozen candles, surrounding the area of Dumbledore's desk. Further back in the room hung a solitary lamp, bathing that part of the room in a soft orange glow.

'Please, have a seat Judy,' she complied with Dumbledore's request and sat down opposite him, the highly polished oak desk between them. Judy looked past the Headmaster at a shelve, bearing a glass case with the sword of Godric Gryffindor inside it. The case hadn't been there when she had visited the Headmaster's office six years before.

'Did you have a good summer, Judy?' Dumbledore asked in his deep voice.

'Yes, Professor,' said Judy, feeling awkward about being asked such a casual question by the Headmaster.

'I suppose you know why I have asked you to come see me before the start of term?' He folded his hands in front of his mouth and looked at her attentively.

'I think it is because of Sirius' escape from Azkaban,' said Judy.

'Yes, it is,' said Professor Dumbledore gravely. 'I have several questions for you about your father, Judy.' She waited for him to ask the first. 'Has your father ever attempted to contact you?'

'No, sir,' said Judy honestly.

'Not even after his escape?' asked Dumbledore, looking at her over his half moon spectacles.

'No, sir.'

'So you have no idea concerning his whereabouts at this time?' asked Dumbledore insistently.

'No, Professor,' said Judy. 'May I ask why you are asking these questions, sir?'

'Because I need to know whether I can trust you, Judy,' said Dumbledore gravely.

'Trust me, Professor?' She asked confused.

'Yes. I am sure Professor Lupin has told you about Sirius' relationship with Harry Potter?'

'Yes, Sirius is his godfather,' said Judy softly.

'Do you think Sirius cares about Harry?' asked Dumbledore interested.

'I think he loves him as if he were his own child, sir,' said Judy honestly.

'I was afraid of that,' said Dumbledore, getting up and walking around his desk. He walked to one of the many spindly-legged tables in the office and looked at the array of puffing silver instruments that stood on it. 'And if I remember correctly you don't believe Sirius has anything to do with James and Lily Potter's death?'

'Yes, I think he is innocent,' said Judy, looking straight into Dumbledore's blue eyes as he turned to face her. 'You think Sirius is after Harry, don't you?'

'Voldemort's downfall was Sirius' as well,' said Dumbledore slowly, choosing his words carefully. 'Harry is the reason why your father lost everything that meant anything to him. Not only his wealth and power, but also you,' said Dumbledore. 'I think Sirius wants to see Harry dead as much as Voldemort himself.'

'You're wrong,' said Judy quickly. 'If there's anybody who Sirius wants to see dead it's Voldemort.' Dumbledore looked at her, not convinced.

'You are referring to your mother's murder.'

'She was killed because Voldemort wanted revenge on Sirius…he was never the same after that.' She took a deep breath. 'Harry is not the reason Sirius lost everything, Professor. My father lost everything he loved because of Voldemort.'

'I understand why you believe that,' said Dumbledore, 'but there is also proof that Sirius was working together with Voldemort.'

'He would never have betrayed James and Lily,' said Judy, fighting back the tears the thought caused her.

'Perhaps,' said Dumbledore, his eyes still on her, 'but you understand my concern?'

'I do, Professor.'

'And you understand I will do anything to protect Harry?'

'I don't believe Sirius is after Harry,' said Judy, 'but I don't want to see Harry get hurt either, Professor.' She quickly wiped away a tear from her cheek. The thought of her father as a murderer had always brought tears to her eyes. No matter what anybody said about him, she refused to believe that the man who had found her hiding under the bed after her mother was killed, could be a murderer himself.

'If Sirius were to contact you to try and get to Harry,' said Dumbledore, pausing.

'I will not do anything to endanger Harry's life, sir,' said Judy firmly.

Dumbledore looked at her and waited a while before he spoke. 'I trust you, Judy.' He said honestly. 'And I understand how hard this must be for you,'

'No, you don't,' Judy snapped and quickly wiped away a tear from her cheek. She felt ashamed as she became aware of the sharp tone in her voice. 'I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean,-'

'It's quite all right, Judy,' said Dumbledore warmly as he handed her a light blue handkerchief. Judy took it and dabbed her eyes. 'It is never easy to be separated from one's family…' Judy looked up at him, knowing that Sirius wasn't the only person he was referring to. Harry had been like a little brother to her when they were children and she knew their relationship would have been very different if Voldemort hadn't come into their lives.

'I have Remus,' said Judy, 'but I suppose I should call him Professor Lupin from now on.'

'Yes,' Dumbledore smiled for a moment and then looked at her, thinking. 'Judy, I think it is best if you do not tell anybody that you are related to Professor Lupin. Other students may think he is favouring you…'

'My uncle and I have already agreed on that, Professor. And we have told my friends not to tell anybody.'

'Good, and I assume nobody at Hogwarts knows about your relationship with Sirius? Apart from me and your uncle?'

'You are the only ones, sir.'

'I trust you will not entrust anybody else with this knowledge,' said Dumbledore, 'there are many witches and wizards out there who are after your father, especially now that he has escaped from prison…they will not hesitate to grasp any opportunity to capture him…'

'I know, sir,' said Judy honestly.

'Good, well that is all I wished to talk you about. I think we had better go to the feast before they start without us,' Dumbledore smiled at her. 'You'd better go first, I think it is best if few people as possible know about this conversation.'

'Yes, sir,' said Judy, getting to her feet and walking to the door. She stopped in front of it, drew out her wand and cleaned the handkerchief with a charm. 'Thank you, sir.' She walked back and handed him the handkerchief.

'Thank you. Now, you best be off,' said Dumbledore warmly.

Judy turned, walked to the door and then stopped, suddenly remembering the question she had wanted to ask Dumbledore herself. 'Sir?' She asked softly as she turned.

'Yes, Judy?' He looked at her over his half moon spectacles.

'There were Dementors on the train tonight.'

'Yes, so I have heard,' said Professor Dumbledore, his eyes showing an anger that didn't sound in his voice.

'I saw one, sir. He came into my compartment…' Dumbledore looked at her attentively. 'For a moment…I thought he…he wanted to kiss me…' she kept her eyes on Dumbledore, who looked at her, thinking.

'Do you think he sensed your relationship to your father?'

'I don't know, sir,' said Judy truthfully. 'It seemed like he did, but is that possible?'

'There is, as far as I know, no precedence of a Dementor mistaking a family member for a criminal…which does not mean however that it is impossible of happening…' He paused for a moment. 'Perhaps Judy, it is best if you are even more cautious than the other students when it comes to the Dementors…'

'Yes, sir.'

'Now, you'd better hurry to the Great Hall,' said Dumbledore with a smile. 'You've already missed the Sorting, you wouldn't want to miss the feast as well, now would you?'

'No, Professor,' Judy cast him a small smile, turned on her heel and left the office.

She rushed down the spiral staircase and several other staircases, nearly tripping as she forgot the missing step on the stairs leading from the fourth to the third floor. Several paintings called after her that she shouldn't rush through the castle as she did, but Judy ignored them and continued her way down the marble staircase leading to the ground floor.

Judy reached the Great Hall in time to see Dumbledore welcoming the students and wondered for a moment how he could have beaten her to the feast. The enchanted ceiling was black and cloudy tonight, though the thousand candles floating over the tables bathed the Great Hall in a warm glow.

Judy walked quickly to the Ravenclaw table, ignoring the several stares she received from students seated at the four long house tables. Judy sat down next to Willow, hoping the stares and whispers around her would soon die down.

'Well, finally…whispered Willow, rolling her eyes. 'Where have you been? Flitwick has been back for ages and you've missed the entire Sorting!'

'I had to go to the bathroom,' said Judy, feeling miserable for not coming up with a better excuse.

'And that took you what? Half an hour?' Willow arched a brow at her.

'Well,' said Judy, thinking quickly, 'I would have been back earlier, but moaning Myrtle flooded the bathroom again.'

'Then why aren't your socks all wet?' asked Abigail McDonald, a red curly haired girl, who sat opposite them and had been listening in on the conversation. Abigail always listened in on conversations. Despite her sharing their dorm, Willow and Judy had never taken a liking to her.

'Because she's better at Charms than you are and she knows how to dry her clothes with a simple spell,' said Willow irritated. Abigail scowled.

'Well, I guess it's a fashion to come late this year,' said Willow in a quiet tone, 'McGonagall came in a few seconds before you with Potter and his friend Granger. And Dumbledore didn't show up till the last two first years were sorted. May be,-'

'Would you keep it down,' hissed Chelsea Keenan, who sat on Willow's other side. Her long blond hair almost hit Willow in her face as she turned. 'He's talking about the Dementors on the train.'

'Oh relax,' said Willow, 'he won't say anything we'll need in class.' Chelsea scowled at her and turned back to listen to Dumbledore's speech. Judy didn't know any other Ravenclaw who was as focused on her studying as Chelsea.

'…They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds,' said Dumbledore as Judy and Willow turned their attention to the Headmaster's speech, 'and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises – or even Invisibility Cloaks,' he added quickly.

'Like any of us has got one of those lying around,' whispered Willow sarcastically, making Judy smile.

'It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the Prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs foul of the Dementors.'

'Oh great,' said Willow, 'like we don't have enough to do, trying to keep those little buggers from misbehaving.' Judy kept her eyes on Dumbledore who looked very seriously around the Hall. Everybody had fallen quiet at his words of caution.

'On a happier note', Dumbledore said with a smile, 'I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.'

'Two?' asked Willow confused. Judy did her utmost not to look surprised, since she wasn't even supposed to know there was one change in staff this year.

'Firstly, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence against the Dark Arts teacher.'

A rather unenthusiastic applause followed at Dumbledore's announcement. Only a small group at the Gryffindor table clapped loudly. Judy smiled as she spotted Harry Potter among them. Both Judy and Willow pretended not to notice the modest applause at the Ravenclaw table and clapped hard. Willow even put her thumb and index finger in her mouth and whistled loudly. Snape looked at her in disgust and Willow cast him a broad grin. Judy could already tell that Willow's mother would be getting at least one letter from the Potions' teacher this year.

'That's our new DADA teacher?' asked Abigail sceptically. 'Looks like one good jinx will finish him off.' Judy looked at her in anger.

'Well, for your information, Abby,' said Willow, making Abigail cringe because she hated that nickname. 'Professor Lupin knows exactly what he's doing. He came into our compartment after that Dementor I told you about left and gave us all a piece of chocolate. Best remedy against that cold feeling a Dementor gives you if you ask me.'

'Well, I wasn't asking you,' retorted Abigail and she quickly looked back at the staff table to ignore anything else Willow had to say.

'As to our second new appointment,' said Dumbledore as the scattered applause for Professor Lupin faded, 'well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that this place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties.'

All of the students fell silent for a moment as the news sank in. Then a huge applause erupted, especially at the Gryffindor table.

'Awesome!' said Shania Wade, a dark skinned girl who sat next to Abigail and opposite Judy. Her natural frizzy hair now hung over her shoulders in long curls. Shania usually wore her hair differently every day, ranging from frizzy, to curly to straight and every hair do she could think of. Like Abigail and Chelsea, Shania also shared Judy and Willow's dorm.

'With his love for dangerous creatures, lessons should be very interesting…' said Shania with a smile.

'Interesting?' asked Abigail sarcastically, 'I bet you anything that at least one student is going to be in the hospital wing at the end of the week.'

'I wouldn't pay too much attention to her tonight,' said Shania, as Abigail looked back at the staff table.

'Why not?' asked Judy, confused.

'Oh right, you totally missed out on that one,' said Willow with a smile. 'Abigail's younger brother Kenneth just got sorted into Slytherin!'

'Slytherin?' asked Judy in disbelief. 'But that's where she,-'

'Exactly,' cut Shania across her.

'Oh,' said Judy, feeling a bit of sympathy for Abigail. 'What else did I miss?'

'The end of Dumbledore's speech,' said Chelsea, somewhat reproachfully as the golden plates an goblets before them suddenly filled with food and drink.

'Oh, good. I'm starving,' said Willow, helping herself to a couple of chicken legs.

Judy smiled and looked back at Shania, who still had her eyes on her.

'Well, my brother Deacon got himself sorted into Gryffindor,' said Shania proudly. 'But our parents were both in Gryffindor, so that didn't come as a surprise. The Sorting Hat had doubts when it came to me too. Oh, and Chelsea's youngest sister was Sorted too, but perhaps she'd rather tell you herself about that.'

Chelsea quickly swallowed a mouth full of peas as she went red in the face. 'Well, it's not really that important. But my sister Evelyn was Sorted into Ravenclaw as well.'

'Not important?' asked Willow in disbelief. 'You should have seen her gloating fifteen minutes ago!'

'Oh, shut up,' said Chelsea, hiding her face behind her long blond hair. Beside her obsession with studying, Chelsea was also a very polite girl who didn't handle criticism well. Judy could tell Willow had made her feel quite embarrassed.

'Oh come on, Chelsea,' said Willow, putting an arm around her. 'I'm just teasing you.' Judy looked at the two of them for a while and then looked around the Ravenclaw table as she realised two of her friends were missing.

'Where are the boys?' asked Judy, looking at nobody in particular.

'The boys have left us,' said Shania gravely.

'Left us?' asked Judy, confused.

'She means they're hanging out with the seventh years,' said Abigail, pointing her fork at the end of the table. Judy followed Abigail's gaze. Aidan Kinnear and Connor Campbell sat at the far end of the table, surrounded by several seventh year Ravenclaws.

Aidan was the taller of the two. The description dark, tall and handsome fitted him as a glove. His half long dark hair framed his tanned face and his deep brown eyes had melted more than one girl's heart over the years.

Judy remembered all too well how she and Willow had fallen for Aidan the moment they laid eyes on him. Willow and Aidan had even been an item for a while in their first year, but it hadn't lasted. Aidan wasn't the kind of guy who could stick to one girl for too long. And when Willow had become friends with George Weasley in their second year, she hadn't cast Aidan a second glance. Judy had lost interest in Aidan during their first year, because of his short relationship with her best friend. But unlike Willow she got along with him quite well now and had had quite a few laughs with him over the years.

Connor was Aidan's best mate. His skin tone was a shade lighter than Aidan's and he wore his light brown hair shorter than his mate, with a permanent out of bed look to it. Connor was always very easy to talk to and the type of guy you could have a long and serious conversation with. He never wore his Hogwarts' uniform out of classes and usually slipped into his own clothes at the end of every school day, before joining them in the common room. This had earned him several disapproving stares from Chelsea. However, since Connor was one of the best students of their year, Chelsea couldn't help but take a liking to him. Judy had noticed Chelsea casting several furtive glances at Connor over the years, though she also knew Chelsea wasn't the type of girl to walk up to a guy and express her feelings. Judy made a mental note to have a talk with Chelsea about that, because she was convinced Chelsea and Connor had more in common than they both realized.

Aidan noticed Judy looking at them and gave her a short wave, mouthing I'll talk to you later as he did so.

Judy waved back, casting him a smile. As she looked back and saw her empty plate, she realized how everybody around her had nearly finished their dinner and she hadn't even had a bite. She quickly scooped a bunch of green beans, sausages and mashed potatoes on her plate, but was too late to take some gravy as the bowls before her emptied and filled with pudding, pumpkin-tart and several sorts of ice-cream.

'Cutting it close again, I see,' said Willow amused as she filled a small bowl with chocolate pudding.

'But again just in time,' offered Judy with a smile.

She took a pitcher of pumpkin juice and filled her glass. As she put the pitcher back down she looked around the Great Hall and at all the talking students around them. The Hall was filled with laughter and all around her was the sound of clattering knives and forks. It felt good to be back again, she thought to herself as she focused her gaze on the teachers' table.

Judy's eyes locked with Lupin's for a moment and he cast her a small smile. She returned it and then quickly looked away to prevent anybody from noticing the exchange. Her heart felt warm again, much like it had done when she had eaten the chocolate a few hours before. Her lips curled into a small smile as she started on her mashed potatoes. She didn't remember the last time she had seen Lupin this happy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Cauldrons, Parchment and Advanced Magic **

The enchanted ceiling reflected the clear blue sky as Judy entered the Great Hall the next morning. A mix of excited chatter, clattering cutlery and laughter filled the cavernous Hall. All of the students were seated at their House tables and were enjoying the delicious breakfast which the house elves had prepared for them.

'I hope they saved some for us,' said Shania, walking past Judy as they headed for their House table. Shania had chosen to wear her hair frizzy today and tied back in a pony tail. Judy knew that a lack of sleep was the main reason why Shania had chosen the easiest hair do she could come up with. Judy herself hadn't done anything about her own hair safe for pulling a brush through it.

The two of them had spent most of the night catching up, instead of sleeping. Something which Judy, and Shania undoubtedly too, now thoroughly regretted as her eyes stung with fatigue. Judy just hoped the foundation she put on, hid the dark circles under her eyes.

'Well, now,' said an all too familiar voice, 'don't we look charming?' Aidan grinned at them.

'Oh shut up,' said Shania, who sat down next to him. 'First day back is hard enough without your comments.'

'You never were a morning person, were you?' Aidan ducked in time to avoid the piece of toast which Shania threw at him. Judy saw how the toast hit a first year Gryffindor on the back. He looked around for a moment and then, thankful that nobody had noticed, turned back to his breakfast.

'Jude!' Willow snapped her fingers in front of her. 'Are you going to eat something or not?'

'Yes. I'll have some,' she sat down between Willow and Aidan, with much room to spare. Judy doubted the two of them would ever sit closer than a meter apart.

Judy filled a bowl with hot porridge, spread some cinnamon on top and ate her breakfast in silence as everybody around her talked happily. She followed the conversations around her, without really registering what people were saying. She was simply too tired to join her friends in the reports of their summer activities.

'You're not very talkative today, are you?' said Connor as Judy was halfway through her breakfast. His voice withdrew her from her daydream. He smiled at her from across the table.

'Don't worry, she'll make up for it in class,' said Abigail, looking at Judy disapprovingly. Judy arched a brow at her, but chose not to respond and looked back at Connor.

'I'm just a bit tired,' she said truthfully. 'By the way, have any of you got your timetables yet?'

'No, but we will soon,' Aidan pointed. Judy turned to follow his gaze and saw Professor Flitwick in deep conversation with Chelsea Keenan. He held his wand in one hand and a piece of blank parchment in his other.

'He's probably persuading her to drop a few courses,' said Willow.

'Well, I wouldn't be surprised,' said Abigail quickly. 'She already spends every spare hour in the library. And she barely managed to pass all of her OWLs. Let's face it, she's simply not smart enough to,-'

'Knock it off, Abby,' said Connor irritated. Abigail scowled at him.

Judy smiled as Connor spoke up for Chelsea. Abigail saw her and misinterpreted it entirely. She got up from the table without another word and walked away from them.

'Well, good riddance,' said Willow. 'I swear, if she's going to be like this all year,-'

'Cool it, Will,' interrupted Shania. 'You saw her when her brother got sorted. She just needs some time to get over it.'

'Well, that still doesn't give her the right to take her aggravation out on us. Besides, if she wants to be in Slytherin so much, then why is she in Ravenclaw anyway?' offered Willow.

'Because it are not the students who get to decide which House they are sorted in,' said a squeaky voice, making Willow turn around. 'It is the Sorting Hat that makes the choice.' Professor Flitwick cast a long glance at Willow. 'House hostilities are bad enough as they are. I will not tolerate Ravenclaws talking bad of Slytherin or any other House and that most certainly goes for House Prefects. Is that clear, Ms. Waters?'

'Yes, Professor,' answered Willow. Judy knew her well enough to know she was faking the regretful tone.

'Good. Now, classes will start in fifteen minutes and I will not have any of you turning up late for your first lesson of term. So, when I say your name, you will tell me which courses you want to continue for your NEWTs. I will then create your time table and hand it to you. Is that understood?' They all nodded in silence.

'Good. Well, Ms. Waters I might as well start with you. Which courses will you be taking?'

'Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Divination and Transfiguration,' said Willow without hesitation.

'You are still pursuing your goal of becoming a Healer, I see?' said Professor Flitwick, tapping her timetable.

'Yes, Professor,' Willow took the piece of paper from his hands.

'I hope you'll do well.' He said truthfully and then turned his gaze to Aidan.

Judy waited patiently as the others named the courses they wanted to follow. After Aidan came Connor, then Shania and then Judy. She could already guess why Professor Flitiwick saved her for last.

'Ms. Byrne?' asked Professor Flitwick, turning his gaze to her.

'I want to take Defence against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, History of Magic, Ancient Runes and Astronomy, sir.'

Professor Flitwick tapped her timetable and looked at it, thinking. 'These are quite a lot of courses.'

'I know sir,' said Judy.

'And you won't need all of them to follow a career as an Auror, as I know you wish…' said Professor Flitwick, scratching behind his ear.

'Yes, Professor. But I like all of the courses and I intend to do my utmost at every one of them,' said Judy truthfully. The little Professor looked at her for a while.

'Very well,' said Professor Flitwick, handing her her timetable. 'But keep in mind which courses will count the most for your future plans….'

'Yes, sir,' said Judy. 'Thank you.' He nodded happily, turned on his heel and bobbed away. They weren't the only ones who had to be in class in time.

Willow peered over Judy's shoulder as Professor Flitwick walked away from them.

'Are you joking?' whispered Willow. 'You hardly have any time to do your homework!'

'I'll be fine, I've got the weekends,' said Judy honestly.

'But the weekends are supposed to be for relaxing,' reminded Willow her.

'Studying is relaxing, Will,' said Judy with a smile.

'You are worse than Chelsea.'

'Oy,' said Chelsea, looking up from her timetable as she walked up to them.

'Right, sorry,' said Willow, looking back at Judy's timetable again and shaking her head.

'Listen, I know they're a lot of courses. But at least I can still get into Auror training with a couple of E's…you have to get an O on every subject you've got,' reminded Judy her.

Abigail laughed as she joined them. 'I'd like to see you get an O from Snape.'

Willow arched a brow at her. 'Are you so thick that you forgot our OWL exams? Snape doesn't give our NEWT grades, somebody from the Ministry does.' Abigail scowled at her.

'Come on,' said Judy, getting to her feet. 'We've got a double Potions. Snape will kill us if we're late.'

'Do you really think he needs a reason to do that?' asked Willow amused as they got up from their seats.

'We'll be seeing you later then,' Judy and Willow both turned back to Aidan who remained seated. Abigail and Shania didn't move either.

'Oh, you're joking!' said Willow, her hands on her hips.

'First two hours off,' grinned Aidan. 'One of the advantages of not being the best in class.' Willow opened her mouth to respond, but Judy quickly pulled her along, knowing that an argument would definitely mean they'd be late for Potions class.

They walked toward the Entrance Hall, Chelsea and Connor walking quite a distance ahead of them. Judy knew how scared Chelsea always was of turning up late in class. She guessed Connor didn't have a problem with walking with her and reassuring her they'd be in time; not after the way he had stood up for Chelsea a while before.

'Oh, I can't wait to see his face when he sees us in his class again,' said Willow with a grin.

'I hope he doesn't notice me there at all,' retorted Judy, not quite able to ignore the bubble of fear in her chest as they walked toward the small staircase leading to the dungeons.

'Don't tell me that after six years, you're still scared of Snape…' said Willow amused.

'Don't tell me that after six years, you still don't know the answer to that question,' said Judy with a smile as they headed down the staircase, toward the dungeons.

They were the last two students to enter the large, dark and damp classroom. The dungeon was only illuminated by the sunlight penetrating the waters of the Lake above it, which bathed the classroom in an eerily blue glow. The walls were aligned with dead animals in glass jars, making the Potions dungeon the creepiest classroom in the entire castle.

Snape gave the two of them his coldest stare, making Judy's heart shrink as she quickly sat down at a table. Willow sat down next to her, looking as happy as ever and ready to defy anything Snape would say to her…Judy suspected Mrs. Waters would get a lot of letters in the coming year.

Judy noticed, as she looked around the room, that the OWL exams hadn't treated all students well. Beside the four Ravenclaws there were two students from Hufflepuff, one from Gryffindor and four from Slytherin house. Judy could tell by the look which Snape cast at the last four, they would be getting the best grades…

'Goodmorning, students,' said Snape coldly. 'I am glad to see some of you managed to do well on your OWL exams, though I doubt all of you will live up to my expectations…' he cast a look at Willow, who sat up straight and smiled at him.

'While you have learned the basic skills of potion making in your first five years, your NEWT levels will require more skill than the previous years combined,' Snape cast a look at Chelsea who cast down her eyes.

'And you will do much more complex things than make healing potions,' said Snape, turning his gaze to Judy. She had been asked to make such a potion for her OWL, but it was one of the most complex ones she knew.

Snape turned on his heel without another word and started writing on the chalk board behind him. Judy tried to look past him, but Snape completely blocked her view. She could however see Chelsea, who sat at the table next to her and Willow. Judy couldn't remember ever seeing her roommate so pale. Even Connor, who was one of the best students in their year at Potions, looked at the blackboard with his mouth open.

'Now, I trust you all have taken out your cauldron by now,' said Snape icily. Willow quickly put her cauldron in front of her. Snape turned on his heel. 'I expect all of you to give me a sample of this at the end of the lesson.' He jerked his hand at the chalk board behind him.

Judy's eyes widened as she recognized the ingredients. Willow's hand shot in the air.

'Yes, Willow?' asked Snape annoyed.

'Sir, are you serious? I mean, those are the ingredients for Felix Felicis, you can't expect us to…'

'If you feel you are inadequate to make the potion I set for you, then I suggest you pack your bag and never return to my classroom again,' said Snape silkily.

'But sir, this is,-'

'My patience with you is very little, Ms. Waters,' said Snape dangerously.

'Yes, Professor,' said Willow in defeat. Snape cast her a cold stare, turned his eyes on Judy and, if possible, looked at her with even more loathing. Judy quickly scanned the board and walked over to one of the cabinets to search for the ingredients she needed.

The lesson went as usual. Snape complimented the four Slytherins for the little progress they made, while he didn't think the other potions were worth a glance. Connor and Chelsea's potion was going very well, as far as Judy could see from her table. But when Snape came to take a look, Chelsea became so nervous she added too much powder and the liquid turned a violent shade of pink, instead of the dark yellow it had been before. Snape told her to clean up her things and do nothing until the lesson was over.

The look Connor cast at Snape's back was one of pure hatred. He tried to reassure Chelsea during the rest of the lesson, which meant he forgot about his own potion. But Judy knew Potions was one of Connor's best subjects and he'd make up for the poor grade he was bound to get for today's task.

At the end of the lesson Judy handed in a flask with a yellow golden like liquid, which she thought resembled the real colour of Felix Felicis rather well. Willow's potion was a shade of amber, which definitely was more than adequate for a first try.

'That stupid git,' said Willow heatedly as she and Judy walked up the stone stairs leading to the Entrance Hall. 'Did you see him talk to Chelsea? Always picking on the weakest, if he would have done that to me…'

'Your mother would be sending you another Howler again,' offered Judy. 'Chelsea got an 'O' for her OWL as well, she'll be fine.'

'Well, he's still mean for making us do such an advanced potion on our first day back.'

'He's just testing us,' offered Judy, 'and he got you to bite once again.' Judy smiled.

'I guess you're right,' said Willow, sounding still somewhat annoyed. 'Listen, I have to hurry to the seventh floor. I've got Divination. What class do you have?'

'A double History of Magic,' answered Judy.

'Now, there's one class I won't miss,' said Willow with a smile.

'Oh, I don't know. Professor Binns can be boring at times. But we're going to cover the rise of vampires in Transylvania, which should be interesting.'

'Then that will be a first,' said Willow. 'Binns usually turns any subject into something boring…'

'May be…' They stopped as they reached the first floor. 'See you at lunch?' asked Judy.

'Ehm...I told George I'd meet him on the grounds…'

'Oh I see,' Judy grinned. 'I guess I'll see you at dinner then?' she asked with a hint of regret. It would take some time getting used to the fact that they took different classes and wouldn't be seeing as much of each other as they used to.

'Yes. Try to stay out of trouble, won't you?' said Willow, faking a stern tone.

Judy smiled at her. 'Bye Will.'

Willow waved as she made her way further up the marble staircase. Judy headed down the first floor corridor toward the History of Magic classroom. She looked back as she heard someone panting behind her. Chelsea quickly crossed the distance between them.

'What did he say?' asked Judy. Snape had asked Chelsea to stay behind for some extra homework.

'I have to write an essay on how to make Felix Felicis,' said Chelsea as they walked down the corridor.

'Well, that's not too bad, you know how it's made,' offered Judy.

'Yes that's true, but I have to write it five times…' Judy met Chelsea's tired eyes. 'And he wants me to hand it in at the end of the week.'

'Will's right, he is a mean old git,' said Judy. Chelsea smiled weakly. 'Don't worry, Chelsea, he won't get away with badgering you like that next time. Willow and I will see to that.'

'Oh no, I don't want you to get into trouble on my account,' said Chelsea as they entered Professor's Binns' classroom.

'Willow and I will get into trouble with Snape no matter what we do,' offered Judy. 'I'd rather it be for helping out a friend.' Chelsea beamed at her as they sat next to each other at a desk. Judy smiled at her, knowing how few friends Chelsea had.

The classroom was almost empty, which didn't surprise Judy one bit. Professor Binns' lessons were well known for being boring and many students had taken the opportunity of choosing their courses to get out of the History of Magic class. There was one student, however, who had chosen the course, because it was one of the few OWL's he had managed to pass. But as Judy looked around the room there seemed to be no sign of Aidan.

'Chelsea, do you know,-' Both Judy and Chelsea turned to the door as Aidan stormed in, his hair on end. He quickly sat down at the desk before them.

'Don't tell me,' said Judy as he turned and she saw his bloodshot eyes, wrinkled shirt and half loose tie. 'You went back to bed didn't you?' Aidan grinned at her. 'Come here,' said Judy amused and she tapped his hair with her wand, muttering a spell Tonks had taught her long ago. It untangled rapidly and within a second Aidan's dark hair looked like it had just been combed.

'Thanks Jude,' said Aidan, casting her a smile. 'I wouldn't know what to do without you. If there's anything I can do in return…'

'You can pay attention so she won't have to borrow you her notes again…' Both Judy and Aidan looked at Chelsea in surprise. The blond Ravenclaw looked up as if just noticing them. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud,' she offered as she tried to hide her red cheeks behind her long blond hair.

'Well, well, I didn't think you had it in you, Keenan,' said Aidan with an approving grin. Chelsea cast him a shy smile.

'Now, if you will all settle down.' Professor Binns floated into the classroom through the blackboard. The small group of students fell quiet immediately. 'Thank you. Welcome back to Hogwarts,' he said in his low tone of voice. 'Please open your textbooks at page seventeen.'

&

Judy had awoken the next day with a throbbing head ache, caused mostly by the vast amount of information she had taken in the day before and the load of homework she had been set for the coming week.

She spent two hours after dinner on homework, but had only managed to finish her Astronomy homework, which was an essay with a length of a scroll of parchment on the twelve constellations of the zodiac. As if that alone wasn't enough, Aidan's relentless line of questions had made Judy stop writing several times to explain to him what Professor Sinistra had said in class. Judy was thankful when Connor had taken the task upon him to help Aidan out, otherwise she would never have managed to finish her homework.

Today seemed to be even worse than Monday when it came to homework. Judy had been convinced she'd be able to finish Professor Binns' assignment in her first hour of the day, in which she didn't have a course. But she only managed to write half of her essay on Count Dracula's rise in the fifteenth century. Then came Charms and Herbology in which Professor Flitwick and Sprout set her another load of homework, due for the following day.

Despite having liked doing homework for as long as she could remember, something in which she was the opposite of Willow, Judy couldn't help but feel a little depressed of spending her entire evening at writing essays again. She looked at her timetable as she packed up at Herbology and noticed something which her worries had made her forget about entirely.

Her next class was Defence Against the Dark Arts.

'We're going to sit in the front row, aren't we?' asked Willow excitedly as they headed toward the castle. 'Fred and George had DADA yesterday and thought it was the best class they'd ever had. Apparently your…I mean Professor Lupin likes the practical approach.'

'I just hope he's careful,' said Judy worried. 'Last thing he needs is an incident like that at Magical Creatures yesterday…' Judy cast a glance toward Hagrid's cabin.

'Incident?' snorted Willow. 'I bet you anything that Malfoy was deliberately trying to screw up Hagrid's class. You know how he feels about Muggles and Half Breeds.'

'I don't think that will matter much to the school governors,' said Chelsea, who had caught up with them as they walked toward the huge oak front doors of the Entrance Hall.

'Well, it wouldn't would it,' said Willow, 'not with Lucius Malfoy himself as a governor. He'll do anything to get that Hippogriff killed. Poor…what was its name again?'

'Buckbeak,' said Shania, who joined them as they walked through the first floor corridor. 'You know, that thing with Malfoy scared Hagrid so much that he's got us looking after Horklumps!'

Judy remembered from her third year that a Horklump was a creature which resembled a fleshy, pinkish mushroom covered in sparse, wiry black bristles. Horklumps had tentacles instead of roots which went into the ground in search of earthworms. It was known as a fast breeder which would cover an average garden in no time.

'What on earth do you do with Horklumps?' asked Willow amused. 'I mean, well gnomes like them…for dinner, but you can't really do anything with them, can you?'

'Exactly,' said Shania annoyed. 'The only thing we have to do is tend to them and make sure they haven't covered the paddock at the end of the lesson. I mean, do you know how boring a Horklump is!? We're sixth years for Merlin's sake, we should be learning more about unicorns and Thestrals, not Horklumps!' she nearly yelled at them.

'Ah, I thought I heard your sweet voice.' The four girls turned to see Aidan, Connor and Abigail walking up to them. Shania cast a nasty look at Aidan and walked into the DADA classroom without another word.

'You're impossible,' Willow rolled her eyes and quickly walked after Shania.

'What did I do?' asked Aidan innocently.

'Nothing really,' said Abigail, 'safe for acting like a complete arse.' Aidan arched a brow at her.

'Well, she's not the only one who had a boring Care of Magical Creatures class…' said Aidan defensively.

'Boring?' asked Abigail sarcastically. 'You looked like you were having quite a good time with those two sixth year Gryffindor girls...'

'So? I chose Care of Magical Creatures to see some action. If the course won't provide any, I will have to do so myself.' He pushed back a strand of black hair from his eyes. Judy knew Aidan could melt nearly every girl's heart with those eyes, but she agreed with Abigail on thinking that Aidan's flirting was his least attractive feature. She had seen too many girls whose hopes had been built up and then crushed as Aidan's interest went to another.

None of them spoke as they entered the DADA classroom, which to their surprise was deserted safe for Shania and Willow.

'Are we the only ones taking DADA?' asked Abigail in disbelief as she sat down next to Shania.

'May be the others are just running a little late,' offered Chelsea, who sat alone at the desk next to Judy's and Willow's. Connor and Aidan sat down behind her and Judy caught Connor looking at Chelsea as she was searching her bag for her books.

They all had their books, quills, parchments and ink out by the time Lupin entered the classroom. He wore a grey tie and matching pants and an old faded shirt, which Judy had patched up more than once in the past. Judy could see a little more colour in his face, which was somewhat fuller since she'd last seen it. She knew that was probably due to the several good meals he had had since they arrived at Hogwarts.

'Oh good, you're all here,' said Lupin as he walked to the front of the class. He turned on his heel and caught sight of Chelsea's hand which had shot up in the air a second before.

'Yes? It's Chelsea, I believe?' he asked hesitantly.

'Yes, sir,' said Chelsea, a little nervous that Lupin already knew her name. 'I was just wondering, Professor. Aren't there going to be any students from the other houses in our class?'

'I'm afraid not,' said Lupin with a warm smile. 'You see, since all of you have done well on your DADA OWLs and decided to continue following this course, it would be a bit crowded with the students from the other houses joining us as well. Therefore Professor Dumbledore and I have agreed to split the sixth years in two classes this school year.'

'So it's just us and then there's the other Houses?' asked Aidan without raising his hand.

'That is correct,' said Lupin. He turned and walked over to his desk. 'And I'd appreciate it if you raise your hand before asking a question next time.' He turned back to the class, a copy of Defensive Magical Theory in his hands. 'Now, I know this book is usually set for the fifth year, but as I understand it you've followed a slightly different curriculum with Professor Lockhart last year. Can anybody of you tell me which subjects Professor Lockhart covered last year?' Willow's hand shot into the air and Lupin nodded at her.

'Well, nothing much really, Professor. We've spent most of the year reading his books, but we never really had a practical lesson.'

'No practical lessons at all?' asked Lupin surprised. 'But then how did all of you manage to get at least an 'E' for your DADA OWL?'

Judy suddenly felt everybody's eyes on her. She sighed and slowly raised her hand.

'Yes, Judy?' asked Lupin with a small smile.

'Well, because Professor Lockhart wasn't teaching us much, I suggested to practice a bit with the spells ourselves…' Judy paused as Lupin raised his eyebrows. 'Nothing too dangerous or advanced of course,' said Judy quickly, 'just a bit of practice to get through or OWLs.'

'I see,' said Lupin gently. 'And what exactly did you practice?'

'Shield charms mostly,' said Judy thinking, 'and a few jinxes; the Jelly-Legs jinx, the Impedement jinx and the Revulsion jinx. We used them mostly to break the others' Shield charms,' explained Judy.

'Well,' said Lupin slowly, 'as your teacher I cannot approve of such practices and if I should learn this year that any of you are performing magic out of class you will be getting detention.' All of them had fallen silent at this statement and looked at Lupin apprehensively. 'However, I am glad to hear that you've done more in your fifth year than just read your textbooks.'

The class still didn't speak as Lupin looked at all of them, thinking. He closed the book in his hands and lay it back on his desk.

'I had planned today's lesson to be a theoretical one,' said Lupin as he turned back to the class, with his wand now in his hand. 'But as all of you do seem to have acquired some practical skills last year, I think it is better if I see just how capable all of you are in your spell work.' Judy looked at Lupin attentively as he looked around the classroom. 'Now, if all of you would be so kind to pack up your things and put your bags down against the walls.'

'Now, this is more like it,' whispered Willow to Judy as they quickly packed up their ink, quills, parchment and books. They followed Abigail and Shania to the left side of the classroom and put their bags down.

'Now, if you'll all come to the front of the class,' continued Lupin. He waited for all of them to reach his desk. Then, with one flick of his wand, he shoved all desks and chairs aside. Judy looked at the furniture as it stacked itself neatly on top of each other.

'That's better,' said Lupin and turned on his heel to face the students behind him.

'You will all divide into pairs. One of you will be on the left and the other on the right side of the room. Make sure you're a few meters apart from your partner as well as from the people next to you.'

Judy watched how Abigail teamed up with Shania. Aidan and Connor were already walking toward the vacant space. Chelsea looked around the room a bit uncomfortably.

'Come on,' said Judy, casting her a smile. 'You can team up with me and Willow and then we'll take turns.' Judy caught a small smile playing across Lupin's face as she walked to the left side of the room, together with Chelsea. She knew he approved of her making Chelsea feel included.

'Now, the people on the left side, so that would be Judy, Abigail and Aidan will try to protect themselves with a Shield charm,' explained Lupin. 'Willow, Shania and Connor you will try to break the charm. How you wish to do so is entirely up to you. We will do three turns, so everybody can have a go. Does everybody understand?'

'Yes, Professor,' they all said in unison.

'Good,' said Lupin, walking back up to his desk. As he reached it he turned on his heel. 'Draw your wands,' Judy didn't take her eyes of Willow as she held up her wand in front of her. 'Begin!'

'Protego!' shouted Judy instinctively as Willow shot a Jelly-Legs jinx at her. Next to her Abigail's movements slowed down as she was hit by Shania's Impedement jinx.

'Oh, that's a good one,' smiled Willow. 'Impedimenta!'

'Protego!' shouted Judy once again and the spell bounced off once more.

They went on for another ten minutes in which Connor managed to make Aidan fall to the ground twice with a simple Tripping charm. This was much to Shania's amusement who hadn't quite forgiven Aidan about his comment earlier on.

As they switched it was Chelsea's turn to face Willow, whom she shot jinxes at relentlessly. Willow was hit by Chelsea three times. The last time by a Jelly Leg jinx, which made her knees and legs wobble out of control.

'Oh, I'm sorry, Willow,' said Chelsea as Willow grabbed hold of a desk nearby to keep from falling. Though she tried, Chelsea couldn't undo the jinx. Abigail soon noticed what was going on and shot a spell at Willow's legs. The red haired Ravenclaw pushed herself up with a sigh of relief.

'Thanks, Abigail,' said Chelsea with a small smile. Abigail returned her smile. Willow gave Abigail a curt nod.

'Yes, very well done indeed, Abigail,' said Lupin approvingly. 'Now, if you all would switch one more time.'

Willow walked over to Judy. 'Your turn to do the jinxing.'

'You could have thanked her properly,' offered Judy in a whisper. Willow just rolled her eyes and walked over to one of the desks stacked against the walls.

The next ten minutes went pretty much the same as the other two rounds had. Abigail and Shania were clearly enjoying themselves, mostly due to the fact that Connor had another series of successful attacks on Aidan who seemed the be the only one in class not enjoying himself. Meanwhile Judy was doing her utmost to break through Chelsea's defences, but the other Ravenclaw was so apt at Shielding charms that Judy didn't stand a chance.

'That will be enough,' said Lupin after a while. 'I see most of you are quite capable at defending themselves. I don't think I can teach you much more about the spells themselves. However,' Lupin paused for a moment. 'Judy, would you mind assisting me for a moment?'

'Ehm no,' said Judy somewhat surprised that he had picked her, 'not at all, Professor.' She walked to the front of the class.

'If you would stand opposite me, like you just did with Chelsea,' said Lupin gently. Judy walked a few meters away from him and then turned on her heel.

'Good,' continued Lupin, 'now, try and attack me.'

'Try what, sir?!' asked Judy confused.

'Try and attack me,' repeated Lupin.

'But you're a teacher,' said Judy, not feeling at all comfortable to try and attack the man that had taken care of her for twelve years.

'I assure you, you will not be expelled,' said Lupin with a small smile. He held up his wand in front of him.

'All right,' said Judy, raising her own wand as she thought of which jinx to use. Her eyes locked with Lupin's for a moment. 'Impe,-'

Judy's wand flew out of her hand before she could finish the spell. She looked around the classroom for a moment, not realizing what had happened until she noticed Lupin was now holding two wands.

'Nice try, Judy,' Lupin smiled at her as he walked toward her. 'I suppose you want this back?'

'Thank you, sir,' said Judy, slightly ashamed, as she took her wand back.

Lupin gave her a short nod and then turned to face the rest of the students. 'Next lesson, we'll be practicing wordless spells. I want you all to read chapters three and four and write an essay about the advantages of wordless spells.' Chelsea's hand shot into the air.

'Yes, Chelsea?'

'How long should this essay be, Professor?'

'I'm more concerned with quality than quantity,' answered Lupin. 'Now, that will be all for today. I will see you again on Thursday.' He cast Judy a little smile as he turned on his heel and then walked to his desk.

Judy walked over to Willow who grinned at her. 'You should have seen the look on your face,' she said amused as they took up their bags.

'Oh, shut up,' retorted Judy as they walked after Aidan and Connor and out of the classroom. Willow laughed.

'Well, you can't deny that this lesson beats every lesson we've ever had from Lockhart or Quirrel,' Willow offered, still smiling.

'Yes, that Lupin is a good teacher,' said Shania as she hung back and walked on Judy's other side. 'It's just a shame the homework he set us is theoretical instead of practical. I wouldn't have mind to jinx Aidan…you know just to practice.' Shania added innocently as both Judy and Willow smiled.

&

Judy sat at her House table on Thursday morning with an untouched piece of buttered toast on her plate. Willow poured her a glass of orange juice and shoved it under Judy's nose.

'At least drink something,' Willow offered as Judy ignored the glass entirely. She didn't want to drink, nor eat. During the previous night an unsettling feeling had taken hold of her. Her stomach was so upset by it that there wasn't any room for any kind of drink or food.

'Are you nervous about DADA?' asked Connor sympathetically. Judy looked up at him and cast him the best smile she could manage.

'No, I'm just feeling a little nauseous.' Shania arched a brow at her.

'I'm not dreading DADA,' repeated Judy. She took her glass of orange juice and sipped it. Her stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch and she immediately put the glass back down. 'I'm not eating or drinking anything today,' she said in a final tone.

'Sixth year already too much for you, Byrne?' Judy turned and saw the familiar face of Fred Weasley looking down on her. 'You look worse than Scabbers…'

'Who is Scabbers?' asked Judy confused.

'My brother Ron's rat. You probably didn't see him at the house, Ron usually keeps him in his bedroom. Anyway, he's been feeling off since Egypt. I think he's going to kick the bucket soon.'

'And you think I look worse,' said Judy, 'that's real nice of you, Fred.'

'Well, you know how I am,' he offered with a grin. 'Come on, scoot over, I have to show you something.' Judy did as he asked and Fred sat down between her and Willow. Judy only now noticed he was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.

'Well, you see,-' Abigail cleared her throat as Fred spoke.

'As I was saying,-' Abigail cleared her throat again. Fred ignored her entirely, but as he wanted to speak again Abigail cut him off.

'Excuse me,' she said.

'Oh, no need to apologize,' said Fred. 'You know, liquorish wands are good for a sore throat. Anyway,-'

'This is the Ravenclaw table,' said Abigail.

'Yes, I know. Now if you'll excuse me,' he turned back to Judy.

'You are from Gryffindor.' Fred arched a brow at Abigail and then looked back at Judy.

'Is she serious?'

'Come on,' said Judy, grabbing her bag. 'We'll go sit at your table.'

'I'm joining you,' said Willow, following Judy's example. They followed Fred back to the Gryffindor table. Judy sat down between him and George as Willow took a seat on George's other side.

'Changing Houses?' asked George amused.

'You explain,' said Judy to Willow and then she turned to Fred. 'Now, what did you want to tell me?'

'This,' said Fred, handing her the Daily Prophet.

Judy's eyes were fixed on the front page as she saw yet again the picture of the escaped prisoner of Azkaban staring back at her. Her stomach gave another uncomfortable lurch as she read the heading of the article.

'He's been sighted?' asked Judy surprised. 'Where?'

'According to the article not far from here,' said Fred as Judy scanned the text next to the photograph. 'A Muggle saw him,' continued Fred, 'but he'd gone before the Aurors got there.'

Judy looked at the picture below the article and recognized Nymphadora Tonks, searching the environment. The man beside her had a scarred face with a large chunk out of his nose and a glass eye which seemed to be spinning around. From what Tonks had told her, Judy guessed the man was Alastor Moody. An Auror who's sometimes dangerous behaviour and spinning magical eye had earned him the nickname 'Mad Eye'.

'May I?' asked Willow. Judy turned and handed her the Prophet. She then took a clean glass and poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice, as her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

'Why do you suppose he's so near to Hogwarts?' asked Willow as she kept her eyes on the front page.

'Well, he was supposed to be You Know Who's most loyal servant, right?' said George. Judy's knuckles turned white as she tightened her hold on the glass. 'I think it's quite clear why he's coming to Hogwarts,' continued George in an all knowing tone.

'Do you?' Willow arched a brow at him.

'Well ,think about it,' he said, 'Black lost everything the night You Know Who died. He probably thinks that returning to You Know Who is the only thing he can do to get his life back.' Judy stared at her glass, doing her utmost not to show how George's words were affecting her.

'But why do so at Hogwarts?' offered Willow.

'Let's see now, which most evil wizard of all time has been at Hogwarts not once, but twice in two years' time?' asked George. 'Black must have picked up on it while wandering out there and figure his best chance of being reunited with his former master is here at Hogwarts.'

'Hmm,' said Willow, thinking as she looked at Black's picture screaming at them from the front page. 'Do you really think that after all those years in Azkaban he still wants to work for He Who Must Not Be Named?'

'If you ask me, Will,' said George darkly. 'Once a Death Eater, always a,-'

Judy's glass exploded in a thousand pieces and she was covered in pumpkin juice. Every Gryffindor nearby was staring at her and several students at the other House tables were looking in her direction as well.

'Are you all right?' asked Fred worried as he looked at her with widened eyes.

'I'm…I'm fine,' said Judy softly, searching for her wand as her hair dripped with pumpkin juice. Her heart was beating fast as she felt the other student's gazes burning on her skin. She didn't remember a time when she had ever felt so stupid.

'I'll get it,' said Willow, quickly getting up from her seat and aiming her wand at Judy. 'Scourgify.' In an instant Judy's robes, hair and face were clean again.

'Thanks,' said Judy, managing a weak smile.

'No problem,' said Willow as she cast her a smile which didn't hide the concern in her eyes.

Judy drew her own wand and aimed it at a shattered piece of glass before her. 'Reparo.' She muttered and the thousands of pieces of glass gathered before her eyes until they formed a whole again.

'I…I think I'll head for DADA already.' Judy picked up her bag, noticing the worried look on Willow's and the twins' faces.

'I'm fine,' she assured them. 'I've just been feeling a little off, that's all.' She cast a look at Willow. 'I'll see you at DADA.'

As Judy got up from the table, Lupin caught her eye and she knew he had seen what had happened. Judy quickly turned on her heel and walked out of the Great Hall, ignoring the several stares she received.

Judy soon reached the first floor corridor which was completely deserted. She walked slowly, her mind taken up by the sighting of her father. She didn't really see where she was, as she was lost in thought. Thoughts of where her father was now, what he was doing, what he was thinking…

Judy's vision became blurry as she walked to the door leading to the D.A.D.A. class room.

'_No, we're not leaving you!'_

Judy grabbed hold of the solid stone wall as the words echoed through her head.

'No,' she whispered. 'I don't want to know. I don't want to see. I,-' But before she could say any more, the vision took hold of her.

_Judy looked around the vaguely familiar bedroom. The cream white wallpaper, matching duvet and the beech wooden bed had to have been picked out by her mother. Judy remembered how she and her mother shared their preference for light colours. _

_There were two people in the room beside Judy. A man leaned against the wall with a small piece of paper in his hand. On the bed sat a woman looking up at him, her long raven black hair flowing down her back. _

'_Will you just listen to me?' asked Sirius, his voice strained with emotion._

'_I'm not going to change my mind…' Judy walked around the bed to get a better look at her mother. _

_Briana had been crying. Her brown almond shaped eyes were reddened by the tears she had shed. But despite Briana's sadness, her eyes sparkled with an anger Judy had never seen before._

'_But they were here, Briana!' Sirius yelled at her. _

'_It's just a warning,' said Briana dismissively as she looked at the note in Sirius' hand. 'Nothing happened.'_

'_It's a warning this time,' retorted Sirius. 'Voldemort knows our numbers are growing. He knows there are more witches and wizards who are ready to fight him. He will do anything to stop us and he will not hesitate to strike us at our weakest spot.' He paused for a moment as he looked at her. 'Our families.' _

'_I am not leaving,' said Briana stubbornly._

_Sirius let out an exasperated sigh. 'What about Judy?!' he asked heatedly. 'What if they find out about her next time?!'_

'_I can put a Disillusionment charm on her,' answered Briana, now looking at her hands. _

'_Not everybody can be fooled by magic, Briana.' Sirius retorted._

'_Well,' she got to her feet and looked him straight in the eye. 'I doubt he will send a Dementor this way next time, Sirius!' she snapped and walked over to the window. _

_There was a long silence in which the only sound in the room was Briana's soft sobbing. Sirius looked down at the note in his hands as if rereading the few lines written on it a thousand times. _

'_What do you want then?' he asked after a while. _

'_I still want the same thing I always wanted, Sirius.' Briana turned on her heel and looked at him, her eyes shining with tears. 'I want a future…with you.' She quickly wiped away the wave of fresh tears that followed her statement. Sirius walked over to her and took her in his arms. _

'_Briana…'_

'_I just want us to be a family,' said Briana as she sobbed on his chest._

'_We will be,' Sirius said quickly. 'As soon as this war is over…' Briana pulled back to look at him. _

'_It's not just the war, Sirius.' Their eyes locked for a moment and then Sirius turned away. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Briana sat down next to him as he ran his fingers through his hair. _

'_I love you,' said Sirius hoarsely._

'_I know,' said Briana softly. 'And I know you try…but,' she took a deep breath. _

'_I don't want to lose you,' said Sirius quickly. _

'_Don't worry, I'm not giving up on you yet,' said Briana with a small smile, which Sirius returned. 'But we can't go on like this…you can't be out with James all the time if you want this to work. And I only want to be a family if you want to be one too…' Briana added hesitantly. _

'_I want to,' said Sirius honestly. He leaned in and kissed her softly. _

_Judy smiled to see the exchange at first, but as her parents remained glued together she looked around the room uncomfortably. After what seemed an eternity Briana pulled back. She looked at Sirius in silence for a while before she spoke. _

'_I'm not letting you lock me up,' said Briana in a tone which left no room for argument. 'I don't care where you want me to go, but I don't want anything to do with the Fidelius charm. I don't want to depend on anybody else for my own and Judy's safety.' She said in a final tone._

'_You should go to your parents,' said Sirius. Briana looked at him in surprise. 'He'll never expect you to go into hiding with Muggles,' he offered._

'_I suppose you're right,' agreed Briana. 'He'll expect us to use some powerful form of magic to protect ourselves. Though…' she hesitated for a moment, 'I don't think magic will ever be able to safe us…' _

'Jude!' Judy's eyes flew open. She only realized she was lying on the cold stone floor outside the DADA classroom as Willow kneeled beside her.

'Oh, you look awful! What happened?!' asked Willow worried.

'I don't know,' lied Judy, 'I think I fainted.' Judy tried to sit up but changed her mind as she was nearly overtaken by a wave of nausea. 'I'm not feeling good.'

Willow looked over her shoulder as the sound of several pairs of feet came their way.

'Merlin's beard, what happened?!' asked Aidan as he reached Willow's side.

'Is she all right?' asked Chelsea anxiously.

Judy tried to ignore the other sixth year Ravenclaws who now all stood over her. Their closeness and the noise they were making weren't helping her feeling better at all.

'Now, what is all this about?' Judy recognized Lupin's gentle voice, which was followed by a sharp intake of air. 'What happened to her?!' Lupin inquired, only barely able to stay in his role as Professor.

'I…I don't know, sir,' said Willow quickly. 'I just found her here, lying on the ground…dead pale.' Judy met Willow's eyes and only now noticed her eyes shone the same way as Briana's had.

'Don't worry, Willow,' her voice was hoarse as if she hadn't used it in ages. 'I'm fine.' Judy tried to sit up again. Lupin caught the back of her head just in time as she sank through her arms.

'All of you, inside,' said Lupin sternly. 'Now!' Everybody safe for Willow complied.

'What about Judy?'

'She's going to the hospital wing,' said Lupin. He drew out his wand and a silver form shot out of it. Judy wasn't able to register the proper form of the Patronus.

'Go inside, Willow,' said Lupin without taking his eyes of Judy. 'I will join you in a moment.' He waited for Willow to close the classroom door before he spoke again. 'You saw something, didn't you?' he asked gently.

Judy nodded slowly. 'How…?'

'I found your mother like this once,' Lupin answered the unfinished question. 'You will feel better once you get some rest.'

'Professor Lupin?' Madam Pomfrey's hurried footsteps drew quickly nearer. 'I…oh dear,' she said as she noticed Judy.

'She ehm…' Lupin hesitated.

'Don't worry, Professor,' said Madam Pomfrey as she lifted Judy with a spell on the hovering stretcher behind her. 'I've seen this before.'

'Try and keep Professor Trelawney as far away from her as you can, would you?' asked Lupin gently.

'No worries,' said Madam Pomfrey, 'I won't let Sybill anywhere near her. She'll send the poor girl into shock with her tests of the 'true Inner Eye'.

'Thank you,' said Lupin truthfully.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a short nod, turned and headed toward the hospital wing. Judy looked back as the hovering stretcher follow in Madam Pomfrey's wake. Lupin's worried eyes were the last thing she saw before drifting off to sleep.

&

'Do you think she can hear us?' whispered a boy's familiar voice.

'Madam Pomfrey said she could,' whispered Willow back.

Judy slowly opened her eyes. It took her a while to focus her gaze but when she did she could clearly see Willow and Fred sitting on either side of her bed.

'How are you feeling?' asked Willow anxiously.

'Just a bit tired,' said Judy truthfully.

'Tired?' Fred arched a brow. 'Well, I suppose that's only normal after having slept through most of the day.'

'Is it already evening then?' asked Judy as she cast a glance at one of the windows. The sky outside was pitch black, broken only by the light of the stars.

'It's Friday eve, Jude,' offered Willow.

'It's what?!' asked Judy, sitting upright in the bed. 'I slept for two days?'

'Yes,' said Fred, pushing her back down on the bed again.

'But I'll never catch up on homework,' said Judy, thinking about the many chapters she would have to read and the essays she had to write.

'Do you really think anybody will expect you to have done your homework in this state?' asked Willow sarcastically.

'Snape will,' said Fred.

'Snape is a foul git,' retorted Willow, 'and if he thinks he can bully you in the state you're in,' she said, looking at Judy, 'he's got another thing coming.'

'You know, George has had a good influence on you over the years,' said Fred approvingly. Willow cast him a smile.

'Where is George anyway?' asked Judy.

'Madam Pomfrey said only two people at a time were allowed to see you,' explained Fred. 'And since you like me best…'

'Just because I flew into a goalpost because I was looking at you, doesn't mean I like you best,' said Judy.

'You did what?!' asked Willow amused. 'How come nobody told me about that?' she asked disappointed.

'May be you should spend some more time talking to George instead of kissing him,' said Judy with a smile. Fred laughed.

'I take it she is awake?' Lupin's familiar voice asked gently as he walked toward the bed.

'Yes, she's awake,' said Fred with a smile. 'And there seems to be nothing wrong with her sense of humour.'

'Well, that is very reassuring,' said Lupin warmly. 'Would you two mind giving us a minute?'

'Of course,' said Willow quickly. 'We were about to leave anyway.' She cast a smile at Judy. 'You take good care of yourself…Potions isn't any fun without you.'

'I'll try,' said Judy amused.

'See you later, gorgeous.' Lupin arched a brow at Fred. 'I'm sorry, sir, but she is,' said Fred as Willow pulled him away toward the doors leading to the corridor.

'Are you sure he doesn't fancy you?'

'Remus…I mean, Professor,' said Judy quickly.

'Don't worry, there's nobody here but us and Madam Pomfrey,' said Lupin. 'And she already knows.'

'She does?' asked Judy surprised.

'Yes, after yesterday all the teachers know.'

'_All_ the teachers?' asked Judy in disbelief. 'Including Snape?!'

'It's _Professo_r Snape, Jude,' corrected Lupin. 'And I'm afraid so.'

'But why?!' asked Judy as she pushed herself up.

'Because what happened yesterday is likely to happen again and the other teachers were bound to get suspicious if they noticed me visiting you all the time,' explained Lupin.

'So will the students,' offered Judy.

'I can hide my actions more easily from the students than the staff,' retorted Lupin.

Judy sighed as she looked at him. 'I suppose you're right.' She paused for a moment. 'So what happened yesterday is going to happen again?'

'Yes, that is very likely.'

'And my mother had this too?'

'Your mother only had it once. In our first year at Hogwarts,' said Lupin. 'And she had been having dreams for years, so it was less intense than what you experienced.'

'But if my mother only had it once…'

'You're not listening, sweetheart.' Lupin paused as if to think. 'Your mother was much younger when she started developing her Sight. She had had many dreams before she experienced what you did yesterday. Her body and mind were far better prepared than yours.'

'I don't want this,' said Judy, her eyes stinging with tears. 'I don't want to see. I don't want tot know.'

'I know it must be difficult, but try and see it as a gift…'

'A gift?' Judy snorted. 'Do you call seeing your loved ones die and knowing there is nothing you can do a gift?'

'Did you…?'

'No,' said Judy honestly. She thought of her mother's words. 'But I think Mom did. She knew she would die because of magic.'

'Your mother always said that not all was decided…' said Lupin gently. 'Would you mind telling me what you saw?'

'Mom and Dad. Arguing. It was the night before me and Mom left.'

'But,' said Lupin, thinking. 'You were staying with James and Lily that night.'

'I know…it wasn't a memory. Not my own memory anyway.' Judy looked past him. 'Remus,' she said, thinking. 'Mom could see the future. How come I can see the past?'

'Magic can develop in different ways than usual when it exhibits itself at a later age…' said Lupin. 'I'm afraid it is not my field of expertise, but I am sure Madam Pince will have a useful book for you.'

Judy nodded absently as she stared at one of the darkened windows. Lupin sat by her side in silence for a while and then got to his feet.

'Try and get some more sleep,' he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. 'Madam Pomfrey told me you can leave tomorrow if you rested enough tonight.'

'I'll try,' said Judy, managing a weak smile. Lupin turned to walk away.

'Remus?' asked Judy hesitantly.

'Yes, sweetheart?' he turned back.

'Is there any way to stop it?' she asked hopefully.

'Your mother learned to control it after a while. I am sure you will too,' he said warmly.

'Yes,' Judy said softly. 'I guess I will too.'

'Goodnight, sweetheart.'

'Goodnight,' Judy lay back on the bed again and stared at the ceiling. The unsettling feeling in her stomach hadn't quite gone, as her thoughts remained with what she had seen and heard. Her mother hadn't only referred to herself when she said magic would not be able to save them.

Judy turned on her side and pulled her blanket tightly around her as a cold shiver ran down her spine. Had her mother meant that her father would die by magic as well? And what about herself? Would the last thing she'd see in her life be the curse flying out of a wand aimed at her heart? And if so…when would that moment come?


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:** This is the revised version of chapter 8. For those who already read the first version (which I removed due to my perfectionism ;)), I've listed the changes I made at the end of the chapter (in case you don't want to reread the entire chapter).

**Chapter 8**

**Padfoot**

When Judy left the hospital wing that weekend she was met by a new pile of homework waiting to be read and written and despite Willow's reassurance that none of the teachers would expect her to have made any of it, Judy spent her entire weekend and the ones that followed in the library. She didn't see many of the other students, as they enjoyed what were bound to be last sun filled days before the start of autumn. The only person Judy did see was Chelsea whose busy timetable had forced her to lock herself up in the library as well.

As September came and went and October arrived with its cold and rainy weather, Judy knew nearly every section in the library by heart. But, despite keeping up with her homework, she didn't attain the same grades in class she had over the past five years. Her mind constantly wandered to her father and how he was doing and she spent most of every class forcing her mind back to reality. After all, she knew where thoughts of her father could lead and she was sick and tired of people asking her how she was doing every time she looked a little pale.

Judy found it hard to concentrate as she sat in Snape's dungeon one Friday afternoon. Snape was doing his utmost to test his students' potion making abilities and had set them the Polyjuice Potion for that day's lesson. Judy had to reread the ingredients five times and still barely registered what she was supposed to do as she thought of her father, alone and emaciated, hunted by Dementors…She quickly forced her mind back to the blackboard as she added a couple of Lacewing flies to the fluid in her cauldron.

Judy cast a glance at Willow's potion which was a nasty shade of grey, as it said in their books it should be. Her own potion on the other hand was pitch black. She clearly had gone wrong somewhere.

'Merlin's bloody beard…' muttered Willow under her breath. 'What did you do? Add too much Boomslang skin?'

'I don't know,' said Judy absently, not really caring about what colour her potion was herself.

'Come on, Jude, I'm trying to help you here…' said Willow, disappointed.

'Will, it's fine, I don't need…'

'Well, well, Ms. Byrne…' said Snape silkily as he walked up to their table. 'The lesson is over and you have managed to produce a cauldron full of tar? You are not slipping now are you?'

Willow opened her mouth but Judy quickly squeezed her arm. There was no need for her best friend to get detention because she wasn't paying attention.

'Nobody is perfect, Professor,' offered Judy, looking Snape straight in his dark eyes. He flicked his wand and the next moment her cauldron was empty.

'Ms. Waters, you will flask your potion and hand it to me, as will the rest of you,' added Snape in a louder tone. Chelsea startled as Snape raised his voice and dropped her small glass bottle. Connor quickly caught it before it hit the stone floor and handed it back to her. Judy smiled as she saw that Chelsea's potion was the same shade of grey as Willow's.

'Ms. Byrne, you will turn in an essay on how to make a proper Polyjuice potion on Monday,' said Snape, his lips curled in a malicious smile. 'Two rolls of parchment will be sufficient.' Judy squeezed Willow's arm again as she opened her mouth.

A few minutes later, the three girls and Connor walked out of the dungeons. Judy walked in front, her mind so taken up by her father that she nearly forgot about her House mates.

'Listen, none of us can get top marks anyway,' said Willow. 'The potion has to brew for like months.' They walked up the stone stairs leading to the Great Hall.

'I know,' answered Chelsea, 'but I still think mine was a bit too dark…'

'I think it was the perfect shade of grey,' said Connor gently. Judy looked up as Willow caught up with her. She answered the knowing smile on her best friend's face with the best smile she could manage.

Professor Sprout greeted them impatiently as they arrived last at Herbology. Connor quickly teamed up with Aidan as Judy and Willow took their place at the long wooden table. Chelsea looked around uncomfortably at the pairs of Ravenclaw and Slytherin students.

'Oh, Ms. Keenan,' said Professor Sprout, thinking. 'You can team up with,-'

'us,' said Willow, quickly pulling Chelsea toward her. 'She can team up with us, Professor.'

Professor Sprout cast Willow a sceptic look. 'All right, Ms. Waters. But if you keep Ms. Keenan from her work, you can do today's assignment on your own.'

'Yes, Professor,' said Willow brightly.

'Good. Now, who can tell me the name of the plants before you?' Chelsea's hand shot into the air.

'Plants?' asked Willow under her breath. Judy looked at the thick, black, giant slug like thing before her, its body covered in shiny swellings. She agreed with Willow that it hardly looked like a plant.

'Please, Professor,' Chelsea said apologetically. 'It's a bubotuber.'

'Very well, Ms. Keenan,' said Professor Sprout approvingly. 'Now, today's lesson will consist of collecting the yellow-green pus from the bubotuber's swellings in the wooden bowls before you.'

'But that's disgusting (!)' said Odelia Pellyn, a Slytherin girl who seemed to be disgusted by everything she had to touch in Herbology. Willow exchanged a glance with Judy and rolled her eyes.

'Thank you kindly for that illuminating view,' said Professor Sprout, somewhat annoyed. Judy could tell she didn't understand either why Odelia had chosen to continue Herbology. 'Squeezing a bubotuber's swellings is a very tricky job, because the liquid tends to react with human skin and causes very painful boils. It is therefore vital for today's lesson to wear your gloves. That includes you, Mr. Kieran.' Aidan quickly withdrew his hand from the table. He had clearly been reaching for the bubotuber.

'Now, as I was saying,' Professor Sprout continued as Judy's mind wandered to another student who never paid much attention to what the teachers told him. She had always recognized a bit of her father in Aidan's lack of respect for the rules. She knew that was one of the main reasons why she got along with him so well; she recognized a part of herself in him. A part that she never really gave the chance to surface, because of her past; because she had spent her entire life denying that part of her; the part she inherited from her father.

'All right, let's get started,' said Willow suddenly, drawing Judy away from her thoughts.

'With what?' asked Judy confused.

'Oh great, you picked today to not pay attention?' asked Willow amused. 'Just get started on preparing the thing to be squeezed and Chelsea and I will get the tweezers.' Willow grabbed Chelsea by the shoulder and pulled her along.

Judy looked at the bubotuber, her mind wandering again as she reached out and took hold of the thick, black slug before her.

'NO!' Professor Sprout called out.

Judy screamed with pain as her hands were covered in yellow-green pus, which seemed to burn away the skin off her hands. 'Get it off! Somebody get it off!'

'Hold still!' Willow grabbed her wrist and pointed her wand at Judy's hand. 'Scourgify!'. Nothing happened. 'Damn it, scourgify!'

'A simple spell won't help here, Ms. Waters,' said Professor Sprout as she grabbed Judy's wrists with her gloved hands. 'All of you will stay here and touch nothing as I take Judy to the hospital wing. And I mean nothing, Mr. Kieran!' She added fiercely.

Professor Sprout pulled Judy along through the greenhouses, taking a short cut by taking one of the smaller wooden doors at the side of the castle. Judy couldn't do anything else but stumble behind her, the pain blinding her senses from anything else that was going on around her.

'Come on, dear, hurry up. The sooner Poppy looks at this, the sooner the pain will be over,' said Professor Sprout impatiently as they hurried down the first floor corridor.

Judy complied, concentrating on picking up her feet as the double wooden doors of the hospital wing came into view.

'Poppy!' called Professor Sprout as they burst through the doors.

'I say!' said Ms. Pomfrey indignantly. 'This is a hospital wing and,-'

'Sorry, but the girl has bubotuber puss all over her hands,' explained Professor Sprout quickly as she lead Judy to one of the beds and made her sit down on it.

'I'll get the dittany,' said Madam Pomfrey as she hurried off to the potion cabinet.

'I have to get back to class,' said Professor Sprout, casting Judy a reassuring smile. 'Poppy will fix this. You will be all right, dear.' Judy nodded absently, her eyes fixed on her hands as pain still filled her head.

Professor Sprout hurried out of the hospital wing. Judy looked after the dirt stained clothes and half combed hair as Madam Pomfrey walked over to her. She put the dittany on a clean cloth and started cleaning the pus from Judy's hand as the young Ravenclaw sat there silently and felt more stupid than she ever had in her life.

By the time Judy was allowed to leave, she had already missed that day's Transfiguration class and students were filing in the Great Hall to enjoy their dinner. She looked at the crowd for a while, noticing Odelia and a group of Slytherins laughing loudly, and then headed up the marble staircase toward the dormitory. Several students cast questioning gazes at her bandaged hands, but she pretended not to notice them to avoid having to answer any questions about what happened to her.

Judy walked through the deserted common room and up the small marble staircase toward the equally deserted dormitory. She let herself fall on the bed and stared at the blue curtains hanging around her four poster bed. It didn't take long for sleep to overtake her, despite the early hour. She barely registered Duncan settling down beside her as her fatigue took a hold of her and pulled her into a deep sleep.

&

If Judy had spent most of her spare time in the library before the incident at Herbology, she was spending every free moment among the rows of bookcases now. Not only was she trying to make up for her mistakes at Potion and Herbology the week before, but the library had also proven to be a place where people didn't dare ask her questions about her bandaged hands; not under Madam Pince's stern gaze.

But despite spending most of her time in the library there was one development outside of the castle of which Judy was fully aware. The first Quidditch game of the season was approaching and the Gryffindor players were spending several evenings a week and Saturday afternoon on the Quidditch pitch.

Judy's homework had kept her inside the castle instead of outside in the stands where she usually spent her Saturday afternoon. She had simply been too busy to go out and support her friends as they practiced in the cold and rainy weather. Though, admittedly, homework was only part of the reason why she wasn't going out to see Quidditch …Oliver Wood was the other. After their break-up the year before Judy had never really had a normal conversation with Oliver and she wasn't sure if he would misinterpret her presence at the Quidditch stadium.

The Ravenclaw common room was rather full for a Saturday afternoon, which was undoubtedly due to the bad weather. The sixth years were gathered around the fire place. Abigail, Chelsea and Shania sat on the sofa, watching Aidan and Connor playing wizard's chess on the oak coffee table. Judy and Willow had each taken a comfy chair. Willow watched the two boys attentively as Judy hid her face behind her History of Magic book. She had two more chapters to read about the ninth century Troll wars in Eastern Europe.

'You do know what day it is, don't you?' asked Willow's familiar voice. Judy looked into Willow's brown eyes.

'Yes, I know,' she sighed, as she lay the book on her lap and ran her fingers through her long raven black hair.

'So why are you in here instead of out there?' asked Willow, pulling her legs up on the chair.

'It's bound to rain soon,' said Judy feebly.

'Oh, like that has ever stopped you from seeing Quidditch,' said Willow sarcastically. 'I've watched you and Tonks go out in worse weather than this in your first year.'

'Yeah, well…it's more fun when you can go together…'

'Again, I don't remember that stopping you last year, or the two years before that,' said Willow, arching a brow at her. 'What's wrong, Jude?'

'I just…it's nothing,' she said dismissively, as she watched Aidan's knight smash Connor's pawn to pieces. 'I just need to catch up on my homework. Binns has set us like a hundred pages to read for Monday and Snape has set me a long essay on Polyjuice, because I screwed up my brew…'

'OK, so let me get this straight,' said Willow confused. 'You'd rather finish your homework today and be bored all day tomorrow, instead of going out to watch Quidditch and spending your otherwise dull Sunday on homework?'

'Well…may be that's exactly what I want to do,' said Judy, knowing how stupid her words sounded.

'Come on, Jude,' Shania interfered. 'I know you're dedicated to your education and everything, but you've never missed Quidditch because of homework. You even planned out studying for your OWLs so that you could watch Fred and George practice last year.'

'Well, she was dating Wood last year,' offered Willow, whose eyes widened. 'Merlin's hat! You're staying in because of Oliver, aren't you?' asked Willow amused.

'I thought you and Oliver were ancient history?' interjected Shania, whose hair hung down in long luxurious curls. Shania usually spend more time on her hair when she didn't have to get up early in the morning.

'We are,' said Judy quickly as she caught Abigail's gaze. There was no need to ask what her opinion was about dating people outside of your House. Though Judy doubted Abigail would have mind if she had dated a student from Slytherin House.

'Are you?' asked Willow with a smile. 'He did ask you to come sit with him on the train, didn't he?'

'Ooh!' Shania grinned. 'I didn't know that!'

'Well, it wasn't such a big deal,' said Judy quickly. 'I don't think he really meant anything by it…' She added hesitantly.

'Then there's no problem,' offered Willow with a grin, Judy looked at her thinking.

'I don't know…' said Judy, not convinced whether Oliver's question had or had not meant something.

'Well, I do. You're going. You can do your homework tomorrow,' said Willow, grabbing her book. 'Now, go on, get going…'

Judy looked at her for a moment and smiled. She knew she tended to get carried away by her thoughts and create problems when they weren't really there. She was thankful Willow was always around to draw her back to reality.

'Well, does anybody feel like joining me?' Abigail snorted.

'I'm not leaving till Connor's king is smashed to bits,' said Aidan, smiling.

'Same here,' added Connor, 'well, except it'd be the other way around.'

'I'm not really into Quidditch,' offered Chelsea apologetically. Judy noticed a short exchange of smiles between her and Connor.

'I understand,' she said softly. 'Nobody's coming with me then?' Shania shook her head as Abigail ignored her completely. 'Right,' said Judy, 'I guess some of us do mind a little rain…'

'You mean some of us remember what House we're in,' said Abigail, her voice barely above a whisper. Judy heard Willow sigh behind her.

'You're a Prefect, Will,' reminded Judy her.

'I'll come next time,' promised Shania. 'You know what my hair will look like if I go out there now.'

'Right,' Judy smiled at her as she headed up to the dormitory to fetch her coat and scarf.

As she entered the dormitory Judy noticed she wasn't alone. Duncan lay sprawled on her bed, purring contently, his yellow eyes only half open. He stretched every limb carefully as Judy walked over to her bed.

'Haven't seen you around much,' said Judy softly as she sat down next to him. 'Have the mice kept you busy?' She asked amused as she scratched him behind his ear. She held a small bundle of black hair as she pulled her hand back. 'Aren't you supposed to get more fur for the winter instead of less?' asked Judy as she dropped the black hairs to the floor. Duncan yawned and laid his head on her lap.

'I don't suppose you feel like watching Quidditch with me?' asked Judy gently. The black cat hissed in protest, got to his feet and quickly jumped off the bed.

'Don't worry, I won't make you!' she called after him as he strutted through the half open door, his tail held proudly in the air. Judy looked after the bushy tail till it disappeared from view.

Not wanting to miss more of the practice than she already had, Judy knelt on the floor and opened her trunk. She took out the sketchbook and charcoal Lupin had given her for her Birthday. She always drew while watching Quidditch practice, there was nothing more challenging than trying to capture the enthusiasm on the players' faces.

She put the sketchbook and the box of charcoal in her bag and crammed an umbrella in it as well. She then slipped into her coat and grabbed her scarf from the bed to find the orange and blue fabric covered in black hairs.

'Oh, that's great Duncan,' she muttered under her breath as she started plucking the hair off her scarf. The rough structure of the hairs caught Judy off guard. Duncan's fur didn't feel anything like the hairs she held in her hand. She looked at a pluck of hair, thinking. Her eyes widened as recognition dawned on her.

'It can't be…' she said softly. She sniffed the black hairs in her hands. Judy jumped off the bed and dropped the hairs to the floor as if they were poisonous. Even after twelve years she recognized the scent. 'Padfoot…' whispered Judy as she looked at the black dog hairs, lying on the floor. 'No,' she dropped to the floor and quickly looked under the beds. There was nothing there. She got up again and looked around the room, thinking.

It was possible that Sirius had been in the common room, thought Judy, her mind racing. The Ravenclaws after all didn't need to say a password to enter the common room, but answer a question instead and the chances of answering a question right were still greater than guessing a password. She looked around the dormitory again. If Sirius had been there he must have searched for something or someone…but the room didn't look as if it had been searched and if he wanted to find someone he would have hidden somewhere till that person arrived. Judy sat down on the bed, her mind still racing on how her father, a grown man…

A man, thought Judy with a smile. Sirius was a man…boys couldn't get in the girls' dormitory. So then he hadn't been in the room, but still his hairs were…her eyes fell on the black bundle of hair she had taken from behind Duncan's ear a minute ago. She picked it up from the floor and felt the rough structure.

Judy grabbed her scarf, slung her bag over her shoulder and rushed out of the dormitory. She stumbled into the common room as she missed the last step of the stone spiral staircase.

'Well, well…aren't we eager to go see a bunch of guys on broomsticks,' said Aidan amused.

'Where's my cat?' asked Judy urgently.

'He's here in front of the fireplace,' said Connor as his bishop moved on the chessboard. 'Checkmate!' He said with a grin. Aidan looked at him with widened eyes.

'But…but she was distracting me!' Judy ignored his remark as she walked over to the hearth, where Duncan lay once again sprawled on a rug. She bent and scooped him up from the floor, ignoring his hissing protest.

'What's he done then?' asked Shania amused.

'None of your business,' snapped Judy. She turned without looking at them. She didn't care if they felt offended, she didn't care what they thought, there was only one thing she could think of right now.

Judy walked out of the common room and into the seventh floor corridor. She made a right and walked over to an empty niche. She cast a glance around the corridor to make sure nobody was there before she spoke.

'Where is he?' she asked urgently as she held Duncan up in front of her. He looked at her defiantly. 'You've seen him, haven't you?' The cat turned away his yellow eyes. 'Duncan!' said Judy sternly. He looked back at her, waited for a moment, and then blinked twice.

'Where is he?' asked Judy again. Duncan looked at her for another moment and then turned his head to the window on the other side of the corridor. Judy walked over to it and looked out on the grounds. The Forbidden Forest lay stretched out in front of her.

'The Forest?' she asked in a whisper. Duncan blinked twice again. 'Are you sure?' Duncan meowed irritably. 'Are you sure?' repeated Judy. The cat blinked twice again.

'You should have told me, Duncan,' said Judy angrily. The black cat twisted and turned as he tried to get away from her grasp.

'No, you're not getting away that easily, OUCH!' Judy dropped Duncan to the floor as she held her scratched arm. A small trickle of blood ran down her lower arm as she searched her pocket for a handkerchief. She wrapped the white cloth around the scratches, making sure there was enough pressure to stop the bleeding quickly. She wasn't about to go to the hospital wing again.

Judy looked back out of the window, her mind racing again. Duncan must have been mistaken, she thought firmly. There were many creatures in the Forest with dark fur, may be he ran into one of them. After all, the Forest lay beyond the entrances guarded by the Dementors; Sirius could never have gotten past them. Not unless he knew of a secret passage…and still, if he had there were people who would have noticed…Judy hoisted up her bag as she headed toward the marble staircase. She'd have to have a word with Fred and George after Quidditch practice.

&

Rain came down in icy sheets as Judy sat in the stands, watching the Gryffindor team practice. An enchanted umbrella hovered over her, keeping herself and her sketchbook dry. Judy was glad she had decided to come down to the pitch instead of heading back to the common room, the game had kept her mind off Sirius and she enjoyed to draw again.

Judy looked at Fred holding up a Bludger the way Muggles did with a tennis ball. He hit the Bludger straight into the air and waited for it to come back down again, sometimes making a looping if he'd hit the Bludger too hard. Judy smiled at the familiar scene, Fred never could resist showing off when she came to watch Quidditch practice.

'Fred, will you pay attention!' called Oliver Wood, speeding up to him. 'I don't care if we have an audience…you're on the team to play, not to show off!' Judy laughed as she leaned over the banister.

This was the main reason why she loved spending time with Fred and his brother George. They were always able to distract her from anything that troubled her. Even now Sirius' possible appearance on the Hogwarts' grounds seemed less of an issue as she watched Fred speed across the pitch and return the Bludger his twin had aimed at him.

Judy looked to her right just in time to see Katie Bell throw the Quaffle to Angelina Johnston, who managed to throw the Quaffle past Oliver Wood through the highest hoop. She smiled as Angelina threw her fist in the air in a gesture of victory and quickly sketched Angelina's face in the top corner of the page, intent on working it out till a full drawing later on.

As she looked up to get another impression of Angelina's face, she caught Oliver Wood's eyes. He cast her a small smile, Judy returned it, feeling somewhat uncomfortable and then quickly looked back at her drawing.

'Oy, Wood,' called Fred, flying across the pitch. 'No flirting with the audience!'

Judy was more than ever focused on her drawing, making sure her hair covered her bright red cheeks. There weren't many moments when she wished Fred would keep his mouth shut, but this was one of them.

'You're very good at that,' Judy yelped, being caught off guard by the red haired girl behind her.

'Merlin's soggy…' Judy swallowed the words that should have followed and took a deep breath to still her heart rate. 'You probably learned that from your brothers, didn't you?' asked Judy as she looked over her shoulder in Ginny's eyes. 'They are specialists at giving me a heart attack…'

Ginny flushed. 'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean,-'

'It's all right, Ginny,' said Judy with a smile. 'I just didn't expect anybody else to come out here in this weather.'

'Yes, I know what you mean. Do you mind if I sit with you?' Ginny asked hesitantly.

'No of course not. Just a moment.' Judy took out her wand and aimed it at the umbrella. 'Engorgio.' The umbrella grew to twice it size. 'Good, now I'll just…' She flicked her wand and cast a Drought Charm on the spot beside her. Ginny sat down beside her, her long red hair dripping with rain water. Judy didn't hesitate and cast the same charm at Ginny's hair and within a second there wasn't a drop of water left in it.

'Oh,' said Ginny, touching her hair in surprise. 'Thanks!'

'You're welcome,' Judy smiled at her. 'So, have you been coming to see them practice often?'

'Not very often,' said Ginny, her eyes darting back and forth between Judy and the players. 'The weather has been awful and Mum would kill me if she found out I'd been out in the cold and rain so often.'

Judy smiled. 'Is there anybody you come to see in particular?'

'What? Oh no…not, not really…' said Ginny, her cheeks turning scarlet. Judy looked at Harry as he darted after the Snitch.

'He's a very good Seeker, isn't he?' Ginny nodded in silence. 'Almost as good as your brother Charlie.' The two of them exchanged a small smile.

'Judy…' asked Ginny hesitantly. 'Do you ever…I mean, have you ever drawn a picture of Harry?'

'I think I have some in my old sketchbook…but I can make you a new one if you want,' said Judy with a smile.

'Oh, well that's really not…I mean…'

'I promise I won't tell anyone,' said Judy gently. Their eyes locked for a moment and Judy recognized in Ginny's eyes an emotion that had been raging through her own veins every time she thought about a certain someone she said goodbye to in an overgrown garden. 'Deal?'

'Yeah OK, thanks.'

'Don't mention it.' The two girls exchanged smiles. Despite having known each other for such a short time Judy saw Ginny as more than just Fred and George's little sister. There was something of herself she recognized in the insecure yet determined eyes. She could picture herself becoming friends with the younger girl one day.

They spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Quidditch players practice as their Quidditch robes became more and more wet. Fred and George provided a few good laughs as they hit the Bludger toward each other and barely managed to avoid the attempts to knock the other person off their broom. Wood and the three Gryffindor Chasers played superbly and Harry seemed to fly even faster than usual. Judy was convinced that the Gryffindor team would beat Slytherin with ease.

'I ehm, I have to go,' said Ginny after a while. Judy followed her gaze and watched the players fly to the ground. 'I don't want him to get the wrong idea,' she added quickly. Judy didn't need to ask who *he* was.

'I understand. I'll see you later.' Ginny cast Judy a smile, turned and headed toward the end of the benches where wooden steps led toward the exit of the stadium. Judy looked after her until she was out of sight. It was funny to see how love could even make a brave girl as Ginny insecure.

'Oy, Byrne!' Fred called. 'You coming?'

'I'll meet you outside,' called Judy back at him as she got up from her seat. The rain had stopped and she shrank her umbrella back to its normal size, cast a Drought Charm on the wet fabric and crammed it into her bag. She put her sketchbook and charcoal on top of it, zipped the bag shut and headed in the same direction Ginny had a moment before.

&

'Some match, huh,' said Fred, as Judy met up with him outside the pitch. His red Quidditch robes were soaked to his skin and his flaming red hair stuck to his head.

'I wouldn't know, I was too distracted by you showing off,' said Judy amused.

'I see, well that's quite understandable,' said Fred seriously.

'What is?' asked George, walking up to them and looking if possible even more soaked than Fred.

'That Judy was too distracted by my exquisite skills to pay attention to the game,' said Fred proudly, as he pushed his chest forward.

'She was distracted by you?' George arched a brow at his twin. 'Are you sure it wasn't Wood's smile which distracted you?' He cast Judy a small smile.

'I'm sure,' said Judy in the steadiest voice she could manage. 'And I'd appreciate it if you guys would quit joking about it…' She felt the twins exchange a glance behind her back.

'Sure,' said Fred seriously. 'We didn't know-'

'Yes, you did,' interrupted Judy, looking at each of them. She couldn't keep her lips from curling up in a smile; she never could stay mad with the twins. 'Come on, let's have lunch.' The twins nodded in agreement and the three of them started their way up the slope toward the castle.

'Ehm...Judy.' All three of them turned at the familiar voice. Oliver Wood looked at them uncomfortably. His robes were soaked to his skin, just like the twins. 'Could I ehm…have a word?'

'Sure,' said Judy, trying to ignore the twins' stares at both her and Oliver.

'We'll just wait for you over there,' said George, taking Fred by the arm and pulling his brother along with him.

'You played well,' said Judy, trying to make her voice sound as casual as she could.

'We did all right,' said Oliver, trying to meet her eyes. Judy did her best to evade his; she still remembered the effect those eyes had had on her the year before…looking in those eyes wouldn't make talking to him any easier. 'So ehm…sixth year is pretty busy, huh?'

'Yes, it is,' said Judy, somehow finding the courage to meet his eyes. It was the first time she ever saw him this nervous; apart from at a Quidditch match. 'What's wrong, Wood?'

'Nothing, I just…' He hesitated for a moment as he dug his foot in the ground. Judy's heart caught in her throat as she thought of the cause of his hesitation. She knew it would be easier for the both of them if she cut him off before he'd say anything further.

'Oliver, I ehm…well we...' she fell silent as she was unable to find the right words to say. Judy wished she was more like Willow in these situations, her best friend always knew what to say to let someone down easy.

'We?' asked Oliver confused. 'Oh no, Jude. I think you've got the wrong idea.' He laughed, which made her feel even more uncomfortable. 'I just…well, I didn't want you to hear this from anyone else…but me and Katie are sort of a couple now…'

'You and Katie?' asked Judy surprised as a wave of relief swept over her.

'Yes, I hope you…,'

'But that's great, Oliver,' said Judy honestly, thankful for the opportunity to prevent an awkward situation.

'You're ehm…all right with it then…?' asked Oliver hesitantly. Judy remembered how his warmth and consideration for other people's feelings had been one of the major reasons why she'd liked him so much.

'Of course I am,' said Judy truthfully, 'just a bit surprised. But I'm really happy for you.'

'Good,' said Oliver relieved. 'Well, I promised Katie I'd walk back with her up to the castle…' Judy smiled at him as she saw his eyes light up by the mention of Katie's name.

'Don't worry, I'll catch up with Fred and George,' said Judy, still smiling.

'I'll ehm, see you later then,' said Oliver, looking over his shoulder as Katie walked up to them.

'Ok, bye.' Judy quickly walked toward the twins to catch up with them. They both cast her a sympathetic smile, their eyes sparkling with mischief. 'You knew, didn't you?'

'Yes,' said George honestly.

'Are you sure you'll be all right?' asked Fred gravely.

'Yes, if you need a shoulder to cry on…' said George, offering his shoulder to her.

'Or if you need someone to snog…' grinned Fred.

'A complete nightmare,' said Judy, looking from on to the other. The twins both grinned at her.

Judy shook her head as they headed up the slope toward the castle. Though it wasn't raining anymore, clouds still covered the sky, covering the scene in a dull shade of grey. She cast a glance around the grounds, realizing that autumn was definitely taking over. Trees were now covered in colours of red, orange and yellow, safe for the occasional pine tree. Everywhere around them multicoloured leaves lay strewn over the fading green grass.

Judy tightened her scarf as a sudden cold breeze caught her off guard. She instinctively looked at the direction from where it came. The trees of the Forbidden Forest rustled as a gush of wind went through them. Judy could see nothing in the darkness behind the first lines of trees, nothing but the dark eyes looking back at her…

She gasped as recognition dawned on her and her vision went blurry. She grasped Fred's soaked shoulder as her legs threatened to give way.

'Jude? What the…?' Fred asked bewildered.

'_Padfoot! Padfoot!' a young girl's voice called excitedly._

'Judy?!' George's voice echoed in the distance.

'_Judy, be careful! Don't strangle him!' said Briana reproachfully. _

'Jude?!' said Fred worried as he caught her before she hit the ground. Judy tried to hold onto his voice as she fought against the vision threatening to take hold of her. Images of a young dark haired girl running in a meadow switched to the Weasley twins looking at her and back again to the meadow.

'_I'm sure they'll be fine, Briana,' said Lily in a cheerful tone, her red hair blazing in the bright sunlight as her green eyes sparkled with amusement. _

Judy tried to focus her gaze on the redhead twins looking down on her. She resisted the vision as hard as she could, using all her strength to fight off the images before her eyes.

'_Well, Judy will __be anyway…' James ran his fingers through his black hair as he laughed at the sight before him. The young girl clung onto the black dog as he stumbled through the meadow. _

Slowly but surely the vision faded and she was able to see two redhead boys looking down on her, their eyes stained with concern.

'Are you all right?' asked Fred softly.

'I'm…I'm fine,' said Judy, sitting up and taking a hold of Fred's shoulder as the world span around her. She took several deep breaths before letting go and getting to her feet.

Judy swayed as she stood; it had cost most of her strength to fight off the vision. Fred noticed and put a steady arm around her waist.

'Thanks,' she said as she managed a weak smile. Her eyes drifted to the edge of the forest, but the big bear like dog had gone.

'Should I get Madam Pomfrey?' asked George worried, as he moved to stand before her and blocked her view of the Forbidden Forest.

'No,' she said firmly. The last thing she needed right now was spending another night in the hospital wing and having people pay even more attention to her. The bandages she had had to wear till yesterday had already attracted too much attention to her for her liking. 'I just…I didn't eat a lot at breakfast. I'm just feeling a little faint.' The twins eyed her suspiciously. 'What? You don't believe me?' asked Judy innocently.

'Well,' said Fred, unable to suppress a small smile, 'I wouldn't exactly describe your appetite as…'

'Finish that sentence and I swear I'll put a Bat-Bogie Hex on the both of you,' said Judy in a dangerous tone.

George laughed. 'I believe you, Byrne. By the sound of it, you are doing just fine.'

Judy's lips curled into a small smile as she allowed Fred to support her while they walked up the slope toward the castle. A cold trickle running down her spine made her look over her shoulder briefly, but there was still nothing at the edge of the Forest. She had probably imagined everything, she thought firmly as she pushed back the memory of the rough dark hairs lying on the floor of her dormitory.

&

The ceiling of the Great Hall, clouded and gloomy, was the exact opposite of the chatting and laughing students enjoying their lunch. Despite of it being well past noon, at least half of the students were still seated at their House tables enjoying a late lunch as they usually did during the weekend.

Fred didn't let Judy go until they reached the empty seat beside Willow at the Ravenclaw table. Judy quickly stepped away from Fred's reach as she noticed the inquisitive look in Willow's eyes.

George stopped behind Willow and pressed a quick kiss to the back of her head. 'See to it that she eats something. She nearly fainted outside.'

'Fainted?!' asked Willow worried. She stared at Judy.

'Where are you two going?' asked Judy, looking at the twins and grateful for the opportunity to shift Willow's attention away from her.

'We're going to shower,' answered George, 'you don't think we're going to have lunch in these soaked clothes do you?' He smiled at her. 'Make sure she eats,' he added to Willow.

'But,-'

'See you later, gorgeous,' said Fred with a grin, before turning and catching up with his twin.

Judy sighed and turned back to her House table, catching Willow's worried gaze as she did so. 'I'll be fine…'

'You do look awfully pale,' said Chelsea softly.

'You didn't do anything stupid like fall of a broom or something, did you?' said Shania blandly. Judy looked up to face her and only now noticed the angry look in her friend's eyes.

'Oh,' said Judy, remembering how she had reacted to Shania's remark when she left the common room that morning. 'I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean to run out on you guys like that. I'm sorry I snapped at you, Shania.'

'Yeah, well…I'll live,' said Shania casually. She never was a person who could stay angry for long. 'So, what happened to you?'

'Don't know,' Judy lied through her teeth, 'I think I just didn't feel well, because I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.'

'As if you ate anything at breakfast…' said Abigail sarcastically. Judy didn't respond, but she knew her roommate had a point. She hadn't eaten much since Sirius' sighting, partly due to worries about his intentions and partly because she simply forgot as her mind wandered to how her father was doing. 'Here,' Abigail shoved a plate with three sandwiches under her nose. 'And I'm not letting you leave till you eat those.'

'Thanks, Abigail,' Judy smiled at her, knowing her well enough to hear the concern hidden in her casual tone of voice. She looked around the table for a moment as she realised two of her House mates were once again missing. 'Where are the guys?' asked Judy, before taking a bite.

'They're still in the common room,' said Shania. 'Aidan demanded a rematch…twice.'

Judy laughed. 'Anything else I missed?' she asked, as she filled her glass with pumpkin juice.

'Why was Fred holding you?' Willow blurted out. Judy faced her, nearly spilling the juice over the rim of the pitcher.

'Because I wasn't feeling well,' offered Judy quickly. Willow looked at her, not convinced. 'Oh, come on Will…'

'Well, he *is* cute,' offered Shania with a grin. Abigail snorted. 'Oh come on, Abby. If he wasn't in Gryffindor you'd,-'

'Do you really want to find out whether I've drawn my wand before you finish that sentence?' asked Abigail darkly. Chelsea gasped as Willow burst into laughter.

'I'm just saying,' continued Shania, 'that I think it's quite understandable if Judy fancies him.'

'Well you would,' retorted Judy, 'you think all Quidditch players are irresistible.'

'Excuse me?' asked Shania, faking an indignant tone. 'I am perfectly capable to resist Draco Malfoy.'

'Well, everybody's able to resist that git,' offered Chelsea sarcastically. The other four girls looked at her with widened eyes. Chelsea's cheeks turned scarlet as Willow and Shania grinned at her.

'Looks like someone finally learned to speak her mind,' said Shania approvingly.

'You should have heard her telling Aidan off for copying my homework,' offered Judy with a smile. Chelsea's cheeks nearly turned purple.

'She didn't!' said Willow in disbelief.

Judy could tell Chelsea wasn't too happy with her remark and the line of questioning that followed by Willow and Shania. She felt sorry for her roommate at some level, but she was also quite grateful that she had managed to turn the conversation around.

She was just about to start on her second sandwich when she caught Abigail's gaze. The red haired Ravenclaw looked at her, worried. Judy cast her roommate a small smile, but despite Abigail turning her gaze to Chelsea and the other two, Judy could tell the other Ravenclaw was still worried about her.

Judy looked down at her still half full plate as her stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. She'd spend nearly her entire life pretending to be someone she was not and lying about her past, but she'd never liked having to lie to her friends. Now, with Sirius being on the run and undoubtedly turning up in her life at some point, she knew there would be even more times when she couldn't tell the others the truth. She only wondered how long she'd be able to continue to lie to her friends…

&

It wasn't until the end of lunchtime that Fred and George returned from their shower. Both Judy and Willow had saved them some sandwiches. The two Ravenclaw girls were used to their best friends being late for lunch or forgetting about it entirely because of Quidditch practice.

The Great Hall was practically deserted by the time the Weasley twins finished their lunch. Spread throughout the Hall were only a few students from different Houses, playing a game of wizard's chess or reading a copy of the Weekend Prophet. Judy could understand why most students had preferred the cosiness of their common room over the cloudy and thundering ceiling of the Great Hall.

'Do you feel like going for a walk around the castle?' asked George, his question clearly meant for only one of them.

'Yeah, why not,' Willow already got to her feet. 'I trust you two will behave yourselves…' She cast a glance at Fred and then at Judy. The first arched a brow as the latter rolled her eyes.

'We'll see you two at dinner,' said George quickly as he pulled Willow along. Judy didn't understand why he did so, till she looked beside her and saw the hint of anger in Fred's eyes.

'Oh, great…we're not going back to that phase again, are we?' She turned on the seat to face him properly. Fred still looked after Willow till she disappeared from view. 'Fred…'

'Well, if she's on about that again,-' began Fred defensively.

'She's only kidding,' said Judy, half-lying. 'Come on, Fred. It'll blow over if we ignore it.'

'It took two years to blow over last time,' offered Fred, not convinced.

'Then we'll just have to be very persistent at ignoring her remarks…' said Judy with a smile. Fred looked at her for a while, before he smiled as well.

'Well, don't you two look cute together,' Fred quickly turned on his seat as Judy looked up and met Lee Jordan's eyes. 'Hello, Byrne,' he grinned at her.

'Hi, Lee.'

'Haven't seen you around the pitch much this year,' he offered, sounding somewhat disappointed.

'I'm working on changing that,' said Judy with a smile. She had met up with Lee in the stadium during more than one practice session of the Gryffindor team. Hearing his commentaries on the players had always made the game even more fun to watch. 'As a matter of fact, I was in the stadium today. I didn't see you though.'

'Well, I love Quidditch…but not in this weather,' Lee smiled at her. 'Listen, I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?' he asked apologetically.

'Well, I was about to snog her,-' Fred said, faking disappointment.

'Fred!' said Judy indignantly.

'OK, so it wasn't anything important,' offered Lee with a grin. 'I came over to see if you wanted to play a game of Exploding Snap.'

'I'd love to,-' Fred cut off to cast an uncertain glance at Judy.

'Go ahead, I've got loads of homework waiting for me upstairs anyway,' she said with a smile.

'Great,' said Lee with an even broader grin than before. 'We'll just have to find some place in the castle where no one can hear us, because I'm not playing it outside in this weather. '

'Try classroom eleven,' offered Judy, 'it's on the ground floor, in the corridor leading off the Entrance Hall. I don't remember it ever being used,' she said as she remembered how she and the other sixth year Ravenclaws had used it the previous year for their gatherings to practice defensive spells.

'Did I ever tell you, you are absolutely brilliant?' said Fred mischievously.

'About a million times,' said Judy with a smile as she met his eyes.

'Do you two want five minutes?' Lee asked amused.

'Naah,' Fred got to his feet, 'I can snog her later.'

'Honestly,' Judy rolled her eyes at him.

'See you later, gorgeous,' Fred grinned at her. Judy shook her head.

'Bye Byrne,' Lee Jordan waved at her, before following in Fred's wake.

'Bye guys,' Judy looked after them till they left the Hall. Then she got to her feet and left the Great Hall as well. She hadn't lied to Fred when she said she had a lot of homework waiting for her.

The Entrance Hall and the marble staircase were deserted, allowing Judy to give into her thoughts without attracting any attention. Her mind wandered back to the black hairs she had felt in her dorm and the dark eyes staring at her from the Forbidden Forest. No matter how hard she tried to attribute everything she had seen and felt to an illusion, she couldn't deny the reality of it all. Sirius was on Hogwarts' grounds.

She didn't know how he'd managed to get passed the Dementors and survive in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest; but she knew he had accomplished to do all those things, just as she knew that she would have to make a choice on what to do with that knowledge.

She knew telling Lupin and Dumbledore would be the most logical and best thing to do. Sirius was a wanted murderer and though she had heard several theories about his intentions, she didn't have a clue why he was on Hogwarts' grounds. She did know however, that both her heart and mind refused to believe her father was or ever had been a Death Eater. She couldn't believe that a man who had lost everything he loved in the war would even consider joining Voldemort.

She stopped as she reached the second floor, leaning over the banister to look down the large staircase and then looking up to the upper floors. With all the pictures aligning the walls, the teachers and Prefects patrolling the corridors at night and the mass of children using the staircase during the day there was no chance of Sirius getting into the castle. No chance at all, she thought firmly. Then again, she hadn't thought it possible that Sirius would be on Hogwarts' grounds either, not with all the Dementors guarding the castle. But he was.

And yet, despite believing her father was innocent and nearly being convinced that it would be impossible for him to enter the castle unnoticed, her conscience refused to give in to her heart.

Lupin and Dumbledore would never forgive her if they found out she had been lying to them and Judy knew she'd never be able to forgive herself if her lies would cause anybody to be hurt, especially if that someone was Harry. On the other hand, telling the headmaster and her uncle what she knew would probably lead to Sirius being caught and she knew what his punishment would be. She couldn't live with herself, knowing it had been her knowledge which had lead to Sirius receiving the Dementor's kiss.

'Judy?' She closed her eyes for a moment. The familiar voice belonged to the one person she had hoped she wouldn't run into today; not as long as she hadn't been able to make up her mind. She turned on her heel to face the origin of the familiar voice. Lupin smiled at her gently.

'Hello, Professor,' she said with the best smile she could manage. Lupin looked around for a moment.

'Can I have a word with you in my office?' Judy followed his gaze and noticed a group of Gryffindors heading down the staircase.

'Of course.' She followed in his wake, her mind racing about what choice to make.

They walked in silence down the second floor corridor, toward Lupin's office. Several students passed them. Judy was thankful none of them gave them a second glance.

Lupin's office reflected his passion for the subject he taught. A cabinet to Judy's left was filled with an array of dark objects and skulls, while on her right shelves with tankards and cages containing all sorts of magical creatures lined the walls. Pixies and Doxys flew around in their cages, clearly not pleased with their confinement, while a few well preserved, and clearly dead, creatures floated in tankards of water.

'This is quite a collection,' said Judy, looking at a tankard containing a dead water animal she had never seen before. In any other situation she would have asked what it was, but her mind was still so caught up with the decisions she had to make, that she couldn't care less what the water creature was called.

'Thank you,' Lupin smiled at her as he sat down at his desk. 'Would you like a cup of tea?' He asked gently as he poured himself a cup.

'No, thank you,' said Judy quickly. Lupin looked at her, somewhat confused. 'I just had some at lunch,' explained Judy.

'Oh, I see,' said Lupin, his lips once again curled up in a small smile. He put the teapot down, leaned back in his chair and looked at her for a while in silence. Judy evaded his gaze, focusing her attention on a Pixie trying to pick the lock of his cage.

'Well, we haven't spoken much lately, have we?' asked Lupin, after an awkward silence.

'I've been busy,' said Judy truthfully.

'Yes, I heard from Madam Pince that you are practically living in the library these days,' said Lupin amused.

'It's easier to concentrate there than in the common room,' explained Judy, not meeting his eyes.

'I see,' said Lupin in understanding. 'So, how are you keeping up with homework and everything?'

'All right,' said Judy, shrugging. 'I'm a little behind with some courses, but I should be able to catch up on that soon enough.'

'And how are classes?' asked Lupin carefully. Judy met his eyes and sighed as she saw the concern in his eyes.

'Have you spoken with Snape?' asked Judy a bit annoyed.

'_Professor_ Snape told me you are slipping in his class. He thinks the Potion NEWT may be a bit too much for you…'

Judy snorted. 'He's only saying that because he hates me,' she retorted. 'I mean, I know he failed me once only because I helped out Willow with her Draught of Living Death.'

'Oh, I see,' Lupin spoke slowly, as if to contemplate his next words carefully. 'Well, to be honest with you, Jude…Professor Snape isn't the only teacher who has spoken to me about your grades. Professor Flitwick and McGonagall seem to be quite concerned about your achievements as well…'

'Well, they shouldn't be,' said Judy, crossing her arms as if to shield herself from whatever else Lupin had in store for her.

'Sweetheart,-'

'I'm fine, Professor,' she said, consciously keeping up a barrier between them by refraining from calling him by his first name. 'I'll just work harder from now on.'

'I don't think working hard is the problem…' said Lupin carefully. Judy met his eyes briefly. 'Listen…I know your…Sirius is a well talked about subject among students, and teachers for that matter. I can imagine that that can be distracting for you…'

Lupin stopped talking as their eyes met once again, staying locked this time. Judy didn't bother to turn away, in fact she wasn't really looking at her uncle, but looking right through him as thoughts raced through her head.

'You have been thinking about him, haven't you?' asked Lupin gently.

'How can I not?' asked Judy truthfully as she blinked back a tear. 'Everybody's talking about him like he's some kind of monster…'

Lupin sighed. 'Judy, you need to realize,-'

'I know what he did,' said Judy quickly, only half-believing her own words. 'It's just…' her voice wavered as she looked at a dark fury animal in one of the cages, licking his two white fangs as he looked down on her. She could feel the touch of the rough dark hairs on her fingers again, the hairs that lay in her dormitory, the hairs Lupin would want to know everything about…

'Sweetheart.' Judy gasped as Lupin took her hands. She hadn't realized he'd gotten up and walked over to her. 'Listen,' he knelt before her, 'I know and I understand that your judgement of Sirius is biased, because of…well, your connection to him. But…' he sighed before he continued, 'he is a murderer, Jude.' Lupin tightened his hold on her as she instinctively tried to pull away her hands. 'You can't deny what he did.'

'I'm not,' said Judy quickly. She had to tell him about what she saw; she couldn't keep the hairs and what she saw in the Forest a secret from her uncle. 'I just don't like hearing people calling him that. Even if it is true.'

'Then you don't believe he's innocent?' asked Lupin carefully.

'The facts are against him, right?' offered Judy lightly. Lupin looked back at her for a moment; she knew her answer wasn't phrased as strongly as he had wanted to hear it. She didn't have much time to decide what to say further and to her own surprise she didn't need much time to make up her mind either.

'I don't,' she added as Lupin opened his mouth to speak. 'I don't believe he's innocent.' An unsettling feeling grabbed hold of her stomach in a way it never had before.

'Good,' Lupin smiled at her. 'That is really good to hear.'

'Why is that good to hear?' asked Judy confused.

'What?' Lupin looked at her confused as if awaking from a reverie.

'Why is that good to hear?' repeated Judy.

'Oh nothing,' said Lupin dismissively.

'Remus…' He arched a brow at her for using his first name. 'Come on, don't lie to me.' Her stomach gave another uncomfortable lurch.

He sat down in his chair again, folded his hands in front of his mouth and surveyed her for a moment. 'It is good to hear,' he said slowly, 'because now I know you'll come to me, should Sirius try to contact you…'

'Oh,' said Judy, her stomach now doing a summersault. 'Of course. Of course I'd come to you if he did that.' She faked the best smile she could, ignoring the nauseous feeling building up inside of her. Lupin smiled at her, which didn't make her feel better at all. 'Ehm, I have a lot of homework waiting for me upstairs. So, if you don't mind, I'll just,-'

'Oh no, go ahead,' said Lupin apologetically. 'How are your hands by the way?'

'Fully healed,' Judy held them up for him to see.

'Good,' said Lupin with another warm smile. Judy wasn't sure she could look at him any longer without caving under his kindness. 'Now, are you sure you're going to be all right? With school, I mean?'

'Yes,' said Judy as she got to her feet. 'And if I won't be, I promise you'll be the first to know, Professor.' She added gently.

'All right, all right. Off you go then,' said Lupin warmly.

'Goodbye, Professor.' Judy didn't wait for a response as she headed out of the office and into the second floor corridor. She sprinted to the nearest girls' bathroom, rushed to the sink and grabbed hold of the rim. She inhaled deeply, in an effort to reduce the tension and nausea which was threatening to take hold of her body.

She looked at herself in the mirror, not able to match what she just did to who she was. Who she thought she had been her entire life.

She knew Sirius was on Hogwarts' grounds; somehow he had figured out a way to get past the Dementors. There was a big chance that he would figure out a way to get in the castle as well…

And yet…she hadn't been able to make the right choice, the best choice, the choice to tell Lupin everything about what had happened that day. And she knew exactly why she hadn't, why she would never tell Lupin the truth about her father's presence on Hogwarts' grounds.

If Sirius' intentions were as Lupin and Dumbledore feared and he was after Harry, she could try to find a way to protect him. There was a possibility for her to prevent Harry from being harmed. But if she told the headmaster and her uncle the truth about what she had seen that day, Sirius would have been caught and there would be no way for Judy to protect him against his sentence. He would receive the Dementor's kiss and there was nothing Judy could do to stop that from happening.

That was why she made the choice she had: the simple fact that she couldn't turn in her father and allow for his soul to be sucked out of his body by one of the horrific guards of Azkaban. She would never be able to do anything to hurt her father; no matter what consequences her choices entailed for herself. Because if Lupin and Dumbledore found out that she had kept the truth from them, there would be consequences.

A tear slid down Judy's cheek as she looked at herself in the mirror. It wasn't the thought of Sirius' horrific sentence or lying to her friends which made her sad. It was the fact that Lupin had believed her, that Lupin still trusted her which made her heart ache. It was the knowledge that she had just lied to her uncle for the first time in her life which tore her apart. And the knowledge that, as long as she believed in her father's innocence, it wouldn't be the last time she would have to lie to him which made her break down in tears.

**Changes that have been made:**

- I changed the title from 'Cats and dogs' to 'Padfoot'. I think the current title fits the chapter much better.  
- There's a minor change in the Potions class: Snape sets Judy an essay because of screwing up her Polyjuice Potion.  
- The conversation Judy has with her House mates who are trying to convince her to go to Quidditch is expanded. I think the conversation they have about Judy and Oliver feels less forced into the chapter now, than it did before (for me anyway).  
- Duncan's reaction to Judy's questions about Sirius, is a bit more violent than before...it works better this way I think.  
- Wood's and Judy's conversation is a bit expanded. I thought it looked like I crammed it in the chapter, but by expanding it a bit I think it fits the chapter better.  
- The bit about Judy feeling guilty about lying to her friends is two lines longer.  
- The most important change I made is expand the ending and write out Judy's contemplation of whether or not to tell Lupin and Dumbledore that she's seen Sirius. I think it clears up her motivation for making the choices she makes. I felt I had to make this more clearly, because previously I don't think it was a logical choice and now with her motivation written out, it is.

There are many minor changes in grammar etc. But the above changes are the most relevant for the overall story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Stranger in the castle**

As autumn laid its colourful blanket over the castle's surroundings, the Hogwarts' grounds looked more and more deserted. Cloudy skies provided too much thunder and rain for any student to leave the castle; safe for Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Most students preferred the warmth of their common rooms, the Great Hall or even the library to spend their free hours, including the sixth year Ravenclaws.

Judy sat across from Aidan and Connor at their House table on Wednesday morning. Aidan was, as usual, copying Connor's star chart for that day's Astronomy class. Judy on the other hand was busy with something which didn't resemble homework in the slightest. She'd spent so much time studying in the past month that she hadn't only neglected hanging out with her friends, but also forgotten to write to her best friend outside of Hogwarts.

She lay down her quill, threw a thin layer of sand on the still drying ink and blew the excess of sand off the paper. She reread the letter once more, making sure she hadn't said anything that would get her into trouble if the letter would fall into the wrong hands.

* * *

_Dearest Dora, _

_How have you been? I'm sorry I haven't written to you earlier, but homework is taking up even more of my time than usual. I've only been able to go down to the Quidditch pitch once in the past month…. I bet your situation isn't that different from mine with your Auror training and all. _

_With all the homework I'm doing and the Quidditch matches I've missed, this school year has started of quite differently than I had expected. The events of the past summer have already changed my life more than I had ever imagined they would. For one thing, my mother's gift is apparently mine as well. I cannot even begin to tell you how angry and scared I am at the same time. Angry because I cannot do anything to stop it, and scared because of how it may change my life. I've already spent one weekend in the hospital wing because of it and according to my uncle there's a good chance that that weekend won't be the last. You wouldn't believe how many other things have happened since the start of term, so many things that I can't really talk to anybody about but you. Not even my uncle. _

_There's a distance between us, Dora. A distance which is growing because I do not see eye to eye with him on certain matters. The same matters I talked to you about on my Birthday this past summer. I assure you though that I do not intend to act on my beliefs, but I can't help but hold on to them. I hope you understand that I haven't told my uncle about this, because I know he will not understand. Perhaps you won't either, but I needed to share my thoughts with someone. You were always the one I trusted most. I really wish there was a way for us to share our thoughts. _

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_Love, Judy_

* * *

She neatly folded up the letter and slid it into an envelope. She cast a look around the Great Hall; occasionally she had seen a stray barn owl perched on one of the wooden beams, only half hidden by the enchanted ceiling. Now however, there was not an owl to be seen; she would have to walk to the Owlery to post the letter.

'Where are you going then?' asked Aidan, looking up from his star chart as Judy got to her feet. 'We still got an hour till Astronomy.'

'West Tower,' said Judy, cramming quill and ink bottle into her book filled bag. 'I'm going to the Owlery. Tell Willow and Shania I'll see them at Charms, OK?'

'Yeah, OK,' said Connor as Aidan bent back over his star chart again. 'Would you mind taking a look at this before you go though?' He handed his own star chart to her. 'I think I've gone wrong somewhere, but,-'

'You forgot Pollux and Castor are part of Gemini as well,' she put down the charts and indicated the two stars. 'And Monoceros lies left of Orion not on the right,' said Judy as she scanned the parchment again. 'If you change that, it should be fine.'

'And how come you've dropped a grade in Astronomy?' asked Aidan with a hint of sarcasm.

'Because I'm too busy helping you with your homework,' offered Judy with a small smile as she slung her bag over her shoulder. 'See you later!'

'Bye!' Connor called after her as she walked toward the wooden entrance doors.

The marble staircase and adjacent corridors were nearly deserted. The first to fifth years were in class at this hour, while the sixth and seventh years used every spare hour to keep up with the mass of homework the teachers assigned them for attaining the required NEWT standards.

Judy tightened her scarf as she reached the Owlery. The circular stone room had many windows, but the lack of glass in them caused the room to be a few degrees colder than the rest of the castle; especially at this time of year. Judy avoided the owl droppings and small skeletons of mice as she made her way over to one of the school's barn owls.

The light brown, white spotted owl took the envelope in its beak. Without another glance it flew toward the ceiling of the Owlery and out of one of the highest windows. Judy looked after it, convincing herself that she had done the right thing by writing her cousin and that none of the information in the letter would compromise the secrets she had had to keep nearly her entire life.

'Well, well, well…' Judy startled. 'If it isn't Miss Screw-Up…' Odelia Pellyn and Dara Bulstrode cast her a pair of malicious smiles. Odelia was a slender, tall girl with long coarse black hair reaching to her waist. Her bright green eyes stood out against her pale complexion. Dara was curvier and shorter than her friend. Her cheeks were covered with freckles and her brown bristle hair reached to her shoulders.

'That's very inventive,' said Judy, rolling her eyes. 'Now, if you'll excuse me,' she tightened the hold on her bag as she pushed herself past Dara.

'Not so fast.' Judy stumbled backwards as Odelia pulled her back; the only reason she didn't fall on the filthy floor was because she hit the wall.

'What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?!' said Judy heatedly as she straightened her uniform.

'What do you mean?' asked Odelia innocently. 'I didn't do anything, did I Dara?' The other Slytherin girl shook her head fervently.

'Oh, very brave…' said Judy sarcastically. 'Two against one. Now, what do you want from me?'

'Come on, Jude. It's nothing personal…we're only having a bit of fun,' said Odelia maliciously.

'Well, then I'll leave you two to that,' said Judy coldly. She pushed herself past Dara and Odelia without casting them another glance. She'd never understand the ability of the two girls to be enemies with other students just because they were sorted into different Houses. She descended the marble staircase quickly, intent on making a stop at the library to spend her remaining spare time in a useful manner.

'Ms. Byrne,' Snape said silkily as she reached the fifth floor. Judy stopped in her tracks. Out of all the people she could have run into while walking the marble staircase alone, it just had to be her luck to run into him.

'Good morning, Professor,' Judy tried to keep her voice steady.

'Do you not have classes to attend?'

'No, sir.' Snape's lips curled into a malicious smile. 'I was just heading for the library to do some studying,' added Judy quickly.

'Were you now?' he asked sarcastically. 'If I didn't know any better I'd think you were spending your spare time exploring the castle instead of doing your homework.'

'I've only been up in the Owlery, sir,' explained Judy quickly.

'The Owlery?' Snape arched a brow at her. 'I thought your uncle is the only family you have…' Judy's heart froze as she remembered how Lupin had told all the teachers of their bond after she had had her first vision.

'I have friends outside of Hogwarts,' said Judy quickly.

'Of course you do,' said Snape amused. Judy opened her mouth to speak, but closed it as Snape raised his hand. 'Now, I want you to listen to me very carefully, Ms Byrne. My patience with you has been nearly as little as that I have for Ms. Waters, but I have never turned a complete blind eye to your talents in my class. That is the only reason why I have accepted you as a NEWT student.'

'Professor, I,-'

'Silence!' Snape took a step forward and looked straight in her eyes. 'Lately your performance in my class, and others, has dropped drastically. Well, except for Defence against the Dark arts, but we both know why that is…'

'But sir, that's not,-' Judy bit her lip as Snape raised his hand to silence her once again. She couldn't remember ever hating her Potions Professor more.

'I will only spend my time on students who show their dedication to their education. Roaming the castle while you should be in the library obscured by piles of books, is hardly showing any motivation for attaining your NEWTs.' He paused for a moment as he looked at her, daring her to respond. Judy's hatred grew as she saw an even stronger look of loathing than usual in his eyes. She didn't say anything, knowing it would only get her into more trouble if she chose to respond. 'Do you understand me, Ms. Byrne?'

'Yes, sir. I understand completely.' Snape's eyes flickered at the challenging tone of the last sentence.

'I suggest you go to the library immediately. If you wish to continue Potions, I suggest you show the results of that visit in my class.' Their eyes met for a moment, Snape's boring into Judy's. She was the first to turn away, as always. At times like these she wished she was more like Willow and could find the courage to defy her Potions master.

As Judy looked up again she saw Snape walking back down the fifth floor corridor, his black cloak billowing in his wake. She waited for him to be out of sight before she turned and rushed down the marble staircase to the library on the fourth floor.

She entered the library quickly, walking in between two large bookcases and ignoring the row of Divination books she passed. She had often stopped to stare at the several titles on that shelve. Her hand had even reached up to several books about visions and the mind, but she had pulled it back as soon as she realised what she was doing. She wasn't ready to find out what exactly her visions meant; she wasn't ready to accept that she would have to live with them for the rest of her life. Not yet.

Judy stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes wandered over the large antique clock on her left. She turned on her heel, tightened the hold on her bag and rushed out of the library. Madam Pince's angry comments were drowned out as she slammed the wooden door shut behind her. She doubted she'd be allowed to do any decent studying in the library in the upcoming month.

Judy elbowed her way up the staircase, somehow able to keep herself from being knocked off her feet by the flock of students. Her conversation with Snape had clearly taken longer than she realised and she only had a few more minutes to get to the Astronomy tower for that day's theoretical lesson. After dropping a grade, due to her last awfully incorrect star chart, she had to be in class on time to stay on Professor Sinistra's good side.

'There she is (!),' Chelsea said happily as Judy walked toward the group. Her breathing came in difficult gasps as she reached their side. She grabbed hold of Aidan's shoulder as she caught her breath.

'What took you so long?' asked Aidan confused. 'I thought you were only going to post that letter?'

'I ran into Snape on the way back,' Judy paused to take several deep breaths.

'You mean _Professor_ Snape,' said Abigail disapprovingly.

'I will start calling him that when he learns to behave like an adult,' said Judy truthfully. Chelsea gasped.

'You're hanging out with them Weasleys too much,' said Aidan amused.

'What did he have to say?' asked Connor.

'Ahum.' They all turned on their heel to look at Professor Sinistra. She was a tall slender woman, her dark long wavy hair hanging loose under her dark blue pointy hat. Her robes were the same colour; Professor Sinistra always preferred wearing the colours of the sky she studied. 'Now, if you are all done talking…' she said meaningfully.

Judy didn't meet her eyes as she entered the class room. She had a perfect star chart in her shoulder bag and she wasn't about to do anything to decrease her grade. She'd already have to work twice as hard to convince Snape she was good enough to stay in his NEWT class, she wasn't about to add any other Professors to that list.

&

Judy wasn't alone that evening, as she lay on her bed surrounded by books. Abigail sat two beds left of her, her legs propped up under her in a lotus position. Chelsea lay on her back on the bed between them, her face hidden by the same Muggle studies book as Abigail's. The three of them had agreed on the common room being too noisy to study and had retreated to their dormitory to catch up on their homework. Shania had remained on the blue sofa in front of the hearth watching the boys play Wizard's chess once again. Judy didn't think she'd ever seen the two of them playing any other game.

'Willow's bound to be back soon, right?' asked Chelsea carefully.

'Prefect meetings usually don't last longer than an hour,' offered Judy, not looking up from her book. 'And knowing Will she won't stay a minute longer.' Judy exchanged a smile with Chelsea.

'Dumbledore shouldn't have made her Prefect to begin with,' said Abigail, putting down her book. 'If there's anybody around here not respecting the rules…'

'She doesn't break the rules, Abigail,' Judy looked back at her. 'She just has a tendency of bending them,' she added amused.

'Bending them?' Abigail rolled her eyes before hiding her face behind her book again.

Judy looked up as the door creaked. Duncan walked into the dormitory, his tail swishing happily as he strutted to her bed. Judy watched him apprehensively as she noticed the brown mouse in his mouth.

'You are not eating that here…' He looked at her daringly. 'I said *no*, Duncan,' Judy repeated. He ignored her completely and walked straight under her bed.

'He usually listens quite well to you, doesn't he?' asked Chelsea softly.

'Yes, he does…' said Judy absently as she looked at the black patch of fur which Duncan had left behind as he crawled under her bed. She didn't need to feel the texture to know they weren't his.

'Oy, you!' Judy looked up to see Willow standing in the doorway leading to the girls' dormitory.

'Would you hold your tongue…' Abigail said irritated as she looked up from her book. 'We're trying to study here.'

'Why didn't you tell me about Snape?!' Willow asked, ignoring Abigail completely.

'Because it wasn't worth mentioning,' offered Judy, taking up her book again.

'I'll be the judge of that.' Willow grasped Judy's book from her hands as she sat down at the foot of the bed. Her brown eyes were sparkling due to the anger raging on inside of her.

'OK, first of all, I am not telling you anything until you take a deep breath and calm down.' Judy pushed herself upright, her eyes not leaving her best friend's. Willow complied, her eyes softening slightly. 'Second of all, it really wasn't anything important. I appreciate you caring, but I can handle this on my own, Will.'

'But,-'

'But nothing,' interjected Judy. 'You've already got enough on your hands trying to stay out of trouble in Potions. I don't want Snape sending a letter to your Mom because of me.'

Willow snorted. 'Like he needs an excuse to do that. He's sent two already, and one of them was because I answered a question without raising my hand…'

'You're joking!' said Judy taken aback.

'Wish I were,' said Willow, leaning against one of the wooden pillars of Judy's four poster bed. 'Thank Merlin my mother agrees that he's getting a bit carried away.'

'I don't know, if all of us were to speak without raising their hands it would be a real chaos in class…' said Abigail without looking up from her book.

'I didn't expect you to think otherwise…' Willow glanced over her shoulder. 'Now,' she turned back to Judy. 'What did Snape say?' Judy looked back at her, amused. 'Come on, Jude…'

'OK, I'll tell you if you tell me what George wrote in that letter he sent you during the summer…' Willow's eyes widened. Judy knew she'd never tell about the letter with the other two girls in the room.

'Fine, you win,' said Willow quickly. 'Though you got me rethinking about telling you the most exciting news in months…' Her mouth split in a grin.

'What?' Judy asked apprehensively.

'Next weekend, Hogsmeade trip!'

'At Halloween?' asked Chelsea eagerly.

'At Halloween,' Willow agreed, excited. 'Can you imagine? Hogsmeade will be decorated with talking pumpkins and dancing blue bell flames...and we'll finally get the change to get out of this stuffy castle again.' She sighed. 'It'll be awesome.'

Judy smiled at the excitement her friend was showing. She wouldn't mind getting out of the castle for a while either; it would definitely help get her mind off things. Her dropping grades, Snape's worsening attitude toward her, avoiding Lupin because of the guilt gnawing at her heart, Padfoot's presence on Hogwarts' grounds…a trip to Zonko's and Honeydukes was definitely more than welcome.

'Tell me, how come you know this before everybody else does?' asked Abigail, her eyes fixed on Willow.

'Percy Weasley just told the Prefects. It should be on the notice boards in the common rooms this weekend. I'm sure all of you will be able to keep your mouths shut for a few days, especially to Penelope. You know she can be even worse than Percy when it comes to rules…'

'Oh,' said Abigail, 'you weren't supposed to tell us anything yet, then?'

'Come on, Abby. We're roommates,' said Willow casually. 'I trust you to keep a secret.'

'Like Percy trusted you?' retorted Abigail. 'See, I told you Judy. Always breaking the rules her.'

'Breaking the rules?' asked Willow taken aback. She turned on the bed to face Abigail. 'I'm not breaking any rules…I'm just…bending them…'

Judy burst into laughter and Chelsea quickly buried her face behind her book. Abigail only rolled her eyes, turned away from them and resumed her reading.

'What did I say?' asked Willow confused.

'Nothing, Will.' Judy smiled. 'Nothing we didn't expect from you…'

&

The following week came and went as the excitement about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip grew. Halloween decorations were being put up all around the castle and that Saturday there wasn't a corner which didn't include a set of talking pumpkins, dancing blue bell flames or a flock of floating candles.

Judy and Willow walked among the mass of Ravenclaw students heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. The first and second years lingered a bit behind as the other students rushed down the marble staircase; only third years and up were allowed to visit Hogsmeade.

'What did you agree upon with George?' asked Judy. Her long dark hair was bound together in a single large braid, reaching to her hips.

'That we'd meet them in front of the Entrance doors after breakfast. The Hall is bound to be too crowded to find anybody, so we,-'

'Ms. Byrne?' Judy froze in her tracks at the sound of the familiar voice and fell over as the person behind her collided with her.

'Would you watch it, you bloody idiot?!' Willow said heatedly to the first year who hurried away from them with a terrified look on his face.

Judy felt something fluid trail down her nose. She allowed Willow to help her up by her left arm as she pressed her right hand to her bleeding nose.

'Jude, are you,-' Willow broke off as she saw Judy's blood covered nose and hand. 'Oh great,' she took Judy by the arm and pulled her into the second floor corridor.

'Judy, are you all right? I didn't mean…' Lupin's voice wavered as he saw the warning look in Willow's eyes. Judy was glad her best friend reminded him that they weren't alone. Lupin tended to forget about pretence when he was concerned about her. A pang of guilt, caused by the knowledge of what she was hiding from him, nearly made her cringe. 'I know a spell to,-'

'Oh please Professor,' Willow pleaded as she already drew her wand. 'I've been dying to try this on somebody.' Judy did her utmost not to show the tension which that sentence caused her to feel.

'Ehm…' Lupin eyed her for a moment. 'Well, I suppose,-'

'Thanks!' Willow pointed her wand at Judy's nose. 'Episkey!' Judy immediately felt the bleeding stop and managed to cast the two of them a smile, instead of letting out the sigh of relief she had intended.

'Thanks Will,' Judy said as she took the handkerchief Lupin offered her. She wiped the blood from her face and hands.

'You're welcome,' Willow beamed. 'Hang on,' she took the handkerchief from Judy as she finished cleaning her face. 'Scourgify! Here you go Professor,' she smiled proudly as she handed the handkerchief back to Lupin.

'Thank you, Willow,' Lupin stuffed his handkerchief back in his pocket. 'But that will be quite enough magic performed out of class for today.' Willow looked at him, disappointed. 'If you don't mind, I would like to talk to Judy in private now,' said Lupin kindly.

'I guess I'd better save you some sandwiches then,' she cast Judy a smile. 'See you later.' Willow turned on her heel and headed back to the crowd descending the marble staircase. 'Watch it! Prefect coming through!' Judy's lips curled up in a smile as she looked after her best friend.

'Ms. Byrne, if you would follow me please,' said Lupin, easily slipping back into his role as Professor. Judy walked after him, trying to convince herself, as she had done more than once during the past days that she had done the right thing by not telling him about Padfoot. It helped her to think that she hadn't actually lied to her uncle, she was just not telling him everything she knew. 'Please take a seat,' said Lupin as they walked into his office. He closed the door behind her. 'Are you sure you're all right?'

'I'm fine,' said Judy truthfully, 'well, except for a bruised ego…but I suppose they haven't found a spell to heal that yet, have they?'

'I'm afraid not,' said Lupin with a warm smile as he sat down opposite her. 'I suppose you'll be going to Hogsmeade today?'

'Yes, Willow and I are meeting up with Fred and George after breakfast.'

'Sounds good,' he folded his hands on his desk. 'Any specific plans?'

'Not really,' Judy shrugged. 'Zonko's and Honeydukes are always worth a visit. And we'll definitely have a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. Oh, and I was thinking on visiting the Shrieking Shack. I haven't seen it in ages.'

'The Shrieking Shack?' asked Lupin interested, his calm tone of voice the opposite of his tightened white knuckles. 'Why would you want to go there?'

'For fun,' said Judy casually. 'It's supposed to be the most haunted house in Britain, right? May be I'll spot a ghost,' she offered amused. Lupin's knuckles loosened again. 'Is something wrong?' asked Judy carefully.

'Wrong?' Lupin looked at her, confused. 'No nothing's wrong. Just wanted to make sure you weren't alone…I mean,' he hesitated as Judy got to her feet. She eyed him only for a moment before walking around the desk and placing a kiss on his cheek. Lupin cast her a warm, but confused smile as she pulled back.

'You're a good man, Remus,' said Judy softly. 'I promise I'll be careful.' Lupin nodded, his expression showing relief. 'Now, I have to get going or I'll definitely miss out on breakfast.'

'Just a moment,' Lupin pulled open his drawer, took a Sickle from his wallet and put it in her hand. 'Bring back some Fizzing Wizbees for me? You can use the rest of it for yourself.'

'But this is way too much!' said Judy in disbelief. 'I can't,-'

'You can and you will,' said Lupin in a final tone. 'It's not like you listen to my protests when it's the other way around…'

'But I,-' Lupin arched a brow at her. 'Fine,' said Judy recognizing defeat.

'Good. Now, off you go. We'd best not be seen too much together.' Judy nodded in understanding, headed for the door but stopped midway.

'Why aren't you going to Hogsmeade?' she asked as she turned on her heel.

'Only a few more days to the full moon,' said Lupin gently. 'I'm afraid a visit to Hogsmeade in this cold is a bit too much for me.' Judy merely nodded, unable to speak due to the lump in her throat. With everything going on in her own life she had completely forgotten about her uncle and his transformations.

'Is the Wolfsbane potion Sna-, I mean Professor Snape makes for you, is it working?'

'Just as well as yours,' offered Lupin warmly. 'You don't have to worry about me, sweetheart.' Judy couldn't keep her lips from curling up in a smile as she realised nothing had changed. Despite the two of them hardly spending any time together he was still able to read her mind.

'Goodbye, Professor.'

'Enjoy your trip.'

Judy closed the door and stood still in the corridor for a moment; savouring the warm feeling in her heart. Lupin still tried to look out for her as he always had. She hoped he'd understand she was only trying to do the same for her father if he ever found out what she was hiding from him.

Judy was the only student heading down the marble stairs toward the Great Hall. Sounds of laughter echoed through the deserted staircase and grew louder as Judy neared the mass of students enjoying their breakfast.

Though most parts of the castle were already decorated with Halloween ornaments, the decorations in the Great Hall were still a work in progress. Scattered across the Hall were a only few hovering pumpkins bearing candles, as Professor Flitwick had taken a break from charming more of them to enjoy his own breakfast.

Big black spiders were putting up their webs in several corners of the Hall under the watchful eye of the Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. As Hagrid moved to the Slytherin table, several fist years chose to join their fellow classmates on the other side of the Housetable; Judy couldn't blame them…she'd never been too fond of spiders herself.

'Well, finally,' said Willow as Judy sat down beside her.

'Yes, thank Merlin you're here,' added Aidan, 'she was just about to send out a search party for you.'

'I didn't,-'

'Just ignore him, Will,' said Shania, whose hair hung down in dozens of small braids. Judy suspected her roommate to have used a little magic to make them all that same morning. 'He just can't help acting like an insensitive goblin.' Aidan opened his mouth to speak but closed it as Connor put a hand on his arm.

'Does anybody want some pumpkin juice?' asked Chelsea quickly in an effort to reduce the sudden built tension.

'Ehm, I'll have some,' said Judy confused. She decided not to ask why the tension between Aidan and Shania was worse than usual. 'So, all of you going to Hogsmeade?'

'We were planning on going together,' offered Connor, 'if those two can keep their wands in their pockets.' He eyed Shania and Aidan.

'What about Abigail?' asked Judy, noticing the empty spot beside Shania. 'She's not still in bed, is she?'

'No,' replied Willow. 'She's decided to go to Hogsmeade with her other friends.' Judy followed her friend's gaze to the Slytherin table, where Abigail sat in between Odelia and Dara. 'I guess her ban on inter house friendships doesn't apply to Slytherin,' added Willow irritable.

Judy cast Abigail a small smile as their eyes met. She knew how much her roommate had wanted to be sorted in Slytherin; she was only happy for her that she'd found friends in that House.

'You two going with your boyfriends again?' asked Shania amused. Judy turned to look at her.

'They're not our…' Willow paused as Shania arched a brow. 'You know what? I'm not even going to respond to that.'

'Good, because you're not supposed to lie to your friends,' retorted Shania. Chelsea nearly choked on her piece of toast while both boys burst into laughter. Judy couldn't help but smile as well as she saw the look on Willow's face.

&

It didn't take long for students to rise from their House tables and start making their way to the Entrance Hall. Judy stuffed her last piece of toast in her mouth as people around her started leaving the Ravenclaw table.

'Still not done eating?' asked an all too familiar voice. Judy turned and met Fred's eyes. 'Remember, it's not polite to talk with your mouth full.' Judy swallowed the lump of bread quickly, nearly choking as she did so.

'Thanks for that,' she said, still feeling the lump in her throat.

'Anytime,' Fred grinned. 'Now come on, I don't want those third years to beat me to Honeydukes. There'll be nothing left to buy.'

'We'll see you at dinner,' said Willow to the others as she and Judy rose.

'Don't do anything I wouldn't do,' said Shania with a smile. Judy pulled Willow away from the table before she could respond.

As they reached the Entrance Hall they saw Filch the caretaker signing off the names of students which were visiting the village. The scroll of parchment reached all the way down to the stone floor.

'Our name is Weasley, sir,' said George. Filch arched a brow at him and Fred, knowing very well who they were, and urged them along.

Judy looked around the crowded Entrance Hall as the two third year Slytherins in front of her tried to explain why they didn't have a signed form. She had hoped to see Duncan before leaving the castle; he usually saw her off, but she thought he was still too angry with her. Judy made a mental note to buy him something while in town.

As she cast one last glance around the Hall her eyes were caught by a solitary figure making his way up the marble staircase. She immediately recognized the thirteen year old boy with his hair sticking out at the back. Despite of not believing in her father's guilt, it relieved her to know that Harry would be out of the reach of his godfather.

'Come on,' Willow pulled her along as they walked outside, 'I've already signed us out and Fred and George are probably halfway to Zonko's already.'

'Do you hear that George?' asked Fred indignantly. We walked ahead to arrange some decent transportation and this is how they talk about us…' Behind the twins stood a dark wooden carriage. Two Thestrals stood at the front of it.

'We're sorry, Fred,' said Judy with a small smile as George helped Willow inside. 'If there's anything we can do to make it up to you…' Fred cast her a grin as he helped her inside the carriage as well.

'You know,' he got in as well and sat down beside her, 'you're only saying that because your uncle will kill me if I take you up on that.'

'Am I?' asked Judy as they rode down the slope toward the wrought iron gates. Fred's eyes showed confusion as he looked at her. Judy smiled. 'You shouldn't forget I've been hanging out with you for years when you dare me, Weasley.' Fred laughed, but Judy didn't join him.

She gasped as a sudden cold took hold of her. Small icicles formed in the corner of the window to her right. The other three looked at each other, frozen. Their breath came out in small white clouds in front of their mouths.

'No, not again,' said Willow, her voice less steady than usual. 'What do they want from us?'

'They just need to check that we aren't hiding Black,' offered George. He put his arm around Willow as she shoved closer to him.

'Why on earth would Black try and get away from the castle?' asked Willow nervously. 'I mean,-' She yelped as the carriage suddenly stopped.

Judy stared in front of her, doing her utmost to push back the surfacing memories of her mother's death. She didn't realize how much she was trembling until Fred took her hand in his and held it tightly.

'They'll be gone in a minute,' said Fred reassuringly. 'I think,-'

'Jude!' Willow pointed to the window. Judy turned slowly, her breath catching in her throat as she looked at the three black, hooded figures. The Dementors stood still at her window, staring into her soul through the glass and sucking the warmth from her body. She squeezed Fred's hand as the cold penetrated her skin and froze her heart.

'_Avada Kedavra!' The dark haired woman's body fell lifeless to the floor._

'No,' Judy whispered, her body trembling as she tried to fight off the cold.

_She stared into her mother's wide open eyes from her hiding place under the bed._

'No,' Judy whispered again. She didn't want to relive the worst night of her life again; she didn't want to cave under the fear the Dementors were bringing back to her mind. She concentrated as hard as she could, ignoring the pain in her trembling body and the cold sweat forming on her forehead...

And…she fought off the memory of the dark nursery where a feeling of dread took hold of the young baby girl. She fought off the flash of green light in her mother's bedroom. She fought off every single image of what happened that night. Everything but one; the one she'd been searching for.

_Judy crawled from under the bed, recognizing the men's voices all too well. Sirius lifted her up to his chest and held her close. The young girl flung her arms around his neck and held him more tightly than she ever had before._

A warm feeling spread from her heart to her abdomen and quickly warmed her entire body. She recognized the feeling from the year before; the time she had cast a white glowing wisp. Except this time the feeling was stronger…

'Jude!' Fred tried to pull her away from the carriage door as it opened. A hooded Dementor came into view, his raspy breath sucked what remained of the warmth from the carriage. Judy didn't hesitate as he closed in on her; she knew this was the only chance she had to protect herself and her friends.

She drew her wand with her right hand as she pushed back a protesting Fred with her left.

'Expecto Patronum!' A white light erupted from the tip of her wand and formed a thin shield between her and the Dementor. She leaned forward, making the Dementor retreat from the carriage as the white shield came closer to its hood.

'Somebody get this thing moving!' Judy yelled as she felt the cold slowly penetrating her skin again.

George gave several hard knocks on the wood. 'GO!'

The Thestrals responded immediately and pulled the carriage through the boar winged gates and down the slope toward Hogsmeade.

Willow quickly closed the carriage door as Judy collapsed back onto her seat.

'_I've got you, sweetheart.' Sirius rocked his little girl back and forth as she sobbed uncontrollably. 'I've got you.'_

Judy's lips curled in a small smile as the memory faded.

'What in Merlin's name just happened?!' asked George heatedly. 'What were those bloody Dementors doing?!'

'It looked like they were trying to kiss her,' Willow stared at Judy, tears glistening in her eyes.

'What?' Judy tried to remain calm as her mind was racing. 'Well, if he was it was only because I was closest to the door,' she said dismissively.

'No matter what reason they're not supposed to attack students!' said George angrily.

'Somebody should tell Dumbledore,' offered Fred. 'But I doubt he'll believe one of us,' he added, looking at George.

'I'll tell him,' said Willow, 'I think he'll believe a Prefect.' Judy did her utmost to evade Willow's worried gaze.

'Then you can tell him when we get back,' said George. 'I'm not about to let those monsters ruin my trip.'

'One mind, you and me,' agreed Fred with a grin. 'We should head to Honeydukes first to get each of us a slab of chocolate.'

'A slab?' asked Judy amused, thankful for the opportunity to change the subject. 'I think a couple of bites will suffice for me.'

'Well, our memories weren't as happy as yours,' offered Willow. 'I'll need a bar to cheer me up.'

'What do you mean my memories were happier than yours?' asked Judy confused.

'You produced a Patronus (!). The only thing that enables you to cast a Patronus Charm is a strong happy memory,' explained Willow.

'Well, it wasn't really,-'

'Rubbish!' George cut her off. 'We all saw what you did. You cast a Patronus.'

'It was only a shield form,' said Judy quickly, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

'Even Shield Patronuses are very advanced magic, Jude. And you were facing three Dementors!' retorted Willow.

'Wait till we tell Percy,' said Fred mischievously. 'He'll have a fit when he finds out somebody's better at spells than he is. He can't cast more than a white sparkle when it comes to Patronuses.' George joined his brother in his laughter. Judy looked at the twins apprehensively; being the centre of attention because of her casting skills was the last thing she needed right now.

'Lupin will definitely give you an 'O' when he sees this,' said Willow with a smile.

'No!' said Judy sharper than she had intended. 'I don't want anybody to know.'

'What? Why not?' asked the twins in unison.

'Yes, Jude. What you did was,-'

'I know, I know...a Patronus is advanced magic. But if you tell others what I did then I won't be able to walk the hallways without people asking me to do a Patronus for them,' Judy paused as she saw the confusion in the eyes of her friends. 'Listen, I'm barely keeping up with my courses as it is…having a bunch of groupies will only make it harder for me to find a quiet corner to do my homework.'

'What are groupies?' asked George confused.

'I think it's a Muggle term for admirers or something like that,' said Willow dismissively.

'So we can't tell anybody?' asked Fred disappointed.

'If you don't want us to tell anybody, we won't,' decided Willow quickly.

'I agree.' George cast Judy a small smile.

'Not even Percy?' asked Fred, sounding more and more disappointed.

'I'm sure you'll find another way to tick him off,' offered Judy, relieved to see her friends were complying with her request. With Sirius out there and closing in on Hogwarts, she wanted to attract as little attention as she could.

'Yeah, we'll buy some Dungbombs at Zonko's and throw them in the Prefect's bathroom when he's in there,' offered George. 'We haven't done that in ages, he won't suspect a thing.' Fred nodded approvingly.

Judy cast a glance outside, relieved to see that they were a considerable distance from the castle and the Dementors now. The first Hogsmeade houses came into view as she turned her eyes away and was caught by Willow's worried gaze. She should have known better than to think her best friend would have forgotten about what she'd seen. Judy quickly looked back outside again, her mind racing on a plausible explanation for her friend why a Dementor had tried to kiss her. An explanation that didn't include her relationship to an escaped murderer…

&

Wet, trampled, multicoloured leaves lay strewn over the muddy path which Judy and Willow walked on. Willow was doing her best to keep her suede black boots as clean as she could. Judy on the other hand had given up on trying to avoid the mud and had decided to clean her purple sneakers with a spell as soon as they got back to the castle.

When they reached the open patch at the end of the muddy path, Judy noticed there were no students at the broken wooden fence. There were no people looking at the deserted, old and supposedly haunted house in the distance; even the most brave witches and wizards tried to stay away from the Shrieking Shack.

'When were we supposed to meet Fred and George at the Three Broomsticks again?' asked Willow distractedly.

'In half an hour,' said Judy, her eyes focused on the eerily looking house in the distance.

'I hope they're not expecting us to carry everything they bought at Zonko's,' said Willow truthfully. 'I don't care if they buy out the entire store, I'm not going to help and risk a Dungbomb exploding in my face.'

'Do you believe it's haunted?' asked Judy, her eyes still on the Shrieking Shack.

'I don't know,' Willow shrugged. 'But it sure looks like it is.'

'I wonder if anybody has ever been in there to find out.' Judy took a step closer to the wooden fence. She couldn't quite place it, but something about that house intrigued her.

'Well, it sure as hell isn't going to be us,' said Willow quickly. Judy cast her a small smile.

'I didn't know you were afraid of ghosts, Will.'

'What?' Willow cast a glance at the Shrieking Shack in the distance. 'I'm not afraid of ghosts…I just think I've seen enough for one day. I don't know about you, but I still feel the cold of those Dementors.' Judy met Willow's eyes for a moment and then turned back to the house in the distance. She knew Willow was steering toward a conversation she wasn't ready for.

'I don't think it's haunted,' said Judy in an effort to change the subject back to the Shrieking Shack.

'Jude…' Willow's voice seemed much softer than usual. 'That Dementor…it was trying to kiss you, wasn't it?' Judy kept staring at the house in the distance, her mind racing on the best answer to give to the question; the best lie she could come up with. 'Jude?' Willow asked hesitantly.

She turned to her left, meeting her best friend's eyes and doing her utmost to hide the struggle going on inside her.

'It seemed like it was,' admitted Judy slowly.

'And the Dementor on the train?' asked Willow hesitantly.

'I don't know, may be…' Judy shrugged.

'But why would a Dementor want to try to kiss you?'

'I'm not sure it was trying to kiss *me*,-'

'But,-'

'I know, I know,' Judy cut her off. 'I know it went for me, but I don't think there really was a reason why it picked me. If there was any reason, it was probably because I was closest to the door of the carriage.'

'So what you're saying is that it could have gone for me or Fred or George just as easily?' asked Willow, the thought clearly scaring her.

'Think about it, Will. Why would a Dementor go after me?' asked Judy truthfully.

'But why would a Dementor go after any student?' retorted Willow. Judy looked at her for a moment, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She'd never get used to lying to her friends.

'Voldemort,' said Judy blandly.

'Don't say his name!' Willow shrieked, looking over her shoulder.

'Fine, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…' Judy rolled her eyes. She'd never understand why wizards and witches feared Voldemort's name; Remus had clearly brought her up differently. 'Just think about it, Willow. There have been rumours about Dementors working for him for ages…'

'But why students?'

'To hurt the wizard he fears most at his weakest spot.'

'What, Dumbledore?

'He nearly closed the school when the Basilisk broke out of the Chamber of Secrets,' Judy offered. 'He'll do anything to protect his students. I think Vol-, You Know Who must have considered that as well and I bet he won't hesitate to use it to his advantage.'

'You really believe he's still out there, don't you?' asked Willow, not sounding convinced.

'I don't think he's dead,' offered Judy, looking back at the Shrieking Shack again, unable to ignore the attraction it had on her.

'My father says there's no proof that he's still out there.' Willow took a few steps forward and stopped beside Judy.

'There's no proof he's not either,' offered Judy, keeping her eyes on the house in the distance. They both stared at the Shrieking Shack in silence.

'Do you…' Willow started hesitantly. 'Do you think it can happen again? The Dementors, I mean?' Judy met her eyes.

'I don't know,' said Judy, only half-lying. At least part of her wished her words were true, though she knew a Dementor wouldn't hesitate to kiss her if she came across one again. 'But I have no intention of finding out.'

'I can't believe we're going to have to pass them on our way back again.' Judy only stared at her best friend. She had no intention of running into those Dementors at the gates again. She wasn't sure she would be able to hold them off a second time. 'I mean what if,-' Willow broke off as a branch snapped near by.

Both Judy and Willow turned on their heel and stared at the edge of the forest patch. The silence that followed seemed to last for ages. Willow stood petrified as Judy was captivated by the shadows in front of them. Slowly she took a step forward...and another one...and another one...

'What the hell are you doing?!' Willow's voice drew Judy back to reality, making her stop in her tracks. She had no idea what she was doing, only that whatever she was feeling it didn't resemble Willow's panic in the slightest.

'What's going on here then?' asked George's familiar voice curiously.

'Thank Merlin,' said Willow relieved. 'There's something in there. I think it's a Demen,-' She broke off as a loud rustle of leaves erupted near Judy, who stood motionless at the forest's edge, and rushed away from them.

'That wasn't a Dementor,' offered George amused. 'If I remember correctly they don't walk or run, but they *glide*...Will?! Will come back!'

Judy didn't need to turn around to see what had happened. Willow had walked away from him; she'd never liked being put in place by anybody, especially by someone she cared much about.

'I thought you would have known her better by now,' Judy offered as she turned on her heel to look at him.

'I didn't mean,-'

'Don't worry, George,' Judy smiled as she walked toward him. 'She'll come around. I think she's still a bit shook up because of those Dementors.'

'I can't say those creeps didn't affect me either.' He sighed. 'I just don't like seeing her like this,' said George truthfully.

'Yes, it's hard to see our *friends* be offended,' said Judy amused. George cast her a smile, 'Why are you here instead of at the Three Broomsticks anyway?'

'I wanted to see why you ladies were running late,' he said casually. 'I couldn't drag Fred away from his Butterbeer to join me, though.'

'That sounds like Fred,' Judy smiled. 'Me and Willow were just talking if there was a way to avoid having to pass those Dementors on our way back.'

'You mean a short cut?' mused George. 'I think Fred and I should be able to find one for you.'

'How?' asked Judy interested.

'Sorry, Jude, but that's top secret.' He said mysteriously.

'Good thing I trust you guys then,' she offered.

George cast her a grin. 'We'd better hurry to the Three Broomsticks or Fred will have finished my Butter Beer too...'

'Then we'd better get going,' agreed Judy. She didn't look back as she walked away from the forest patch at George's side. She knew there wasn't anything there anymore. Nothing that had felt more familiar than anything in her life had in years.

'By the way,' asked George as they reached the first Hogsmeade houses again. 'What do you suppose made that noise in the forest?'

'Nothing important,' Judy shrugged. 'Probably just a stray dog.'

A dog she hoped would stay as far from the castle as possible until she had decided whether to trust it or not.

&

Three hours later the two young witches and wizards stood on steps existing of some kind of worn stone. Judy and Fred had their wands lit as Willow stood next to George, panting.

'I swear Mr. Flume saw me heading down the cellar,' said Willow, sounding as if she had just run a marathon.

'If he had, he would have come after us and he didn't,' offered George. 'Besides, it's either this way or passing those Dementors again.' Willow only nodded in response.

'If everybody's all right with choosing this way,' said Fred impatiently, 'then I suggest we'd better get going. It's not exactly the shortest passage...'

'Where does it lead anyway?' asked Judy interested as they started descending the worn stone steps. Judy could tell by the light of her wand that the steps didn't end any time soon.

'The statue of that humpbacked, one-eyed witch on the third floor corridor,' said Fred without turning.

'We're going to come out of the statue?' asked Willow in disbelief.

'Yup,' George said amused.

'How's that even possible?' asked Willow confused.

'And how will we know nobody will catch us?' offered Judy as she tried to keep up with Fred, who was nearly racing down the stairs.

'We'll tell you when we get there,' said Fred quickly. 'We've only got an hour till dinner and we still have to walk all the way to the castle, so how about we get a move on?'

'Fine,' said Willow, only slightly offended. Judy picked up her pace in silence.

'Good, now just watch out for this last step,' said Fred as Judy yelped and slipped on the wet stone underground. Fred's hand brushed by her arm as he tried to catch her and she fell face first on the muddy floor.

'Are you all right?' asked Fred worried.

'Fine...I'm just…I'm just great,' said Judy, pushing herself up. George and Willow hurried toward them and Willow burst into laughter as she saw Judy's muddy appearance.

'Oh, you're joking!' She said in between laughs. 'Not twice in one day...'

'At least my nose isn't bleeding this time,' offered Judy as she tried to brush away the

mud from her clothes and only worsened the stains.

'Here, let me,' said Willow as she drew her wand.

'We can't do any magic outside of school!' warned Judy. 'Besides, I'd rather clean up with a warm shower.'

'You and your Muggle ways,' Willow said, still smiling.

'Well it's not like we can do anything else at home, and,-'

'How about we save this for later?' asked Fred, taking Judy's hand and pulling her

along. 'Because I have no intention of missing an excellent feast.'

'I couldn't agree with you more, Fred,' said George as he took Willow's hand. Judy and Willow didn't speak as the twins pulled them along.

As the time passed Judy could understand why the twins had been in a hurry, the secret passage to the third floor corridor was anything but a short cut. The four of them reached the end of the narrow tunnel with less than ten minutes to spare to the start of the feast.

'Now, how in Merlin's name are we going to crawl out of that thing unnoticed?' asked

Willow, still panting from the run.

'Simple,' said Fred with a grin as he pulled a piece of old parchment from his jeans

pocket. 'Magic.'

Judy looked in silence as Fred unfolded the parchment. She held her lit wand closely to the parchment, but she couldn't see any words.

'It's blank...'

'Patience my dear Jude,' said Fred, still wearing a grin. 'Now...' He tapped the parchment with the tip of his wand. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'

Judy stared in disbelief as thin ink lines appeared at the spot where Fred's wand had touched the parchment. They scattered across the surface, forming dozens of corridors and rooms.

'A map?' asked Willow. 'Of Hogwarts? But,-' she broke off as a bunch of curly words, written in green ink, appeared at the top of the map.

Judy's eyes widened to the point where it hurt when she read the four lines.

* * *

_Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

* * *

'Who are,- Hey is that Filch?' asked Willow, pointing at the labelled dot moving through the fifth floor corridor.

'And Mrs. Norris,' said George as he pointed at the smaller dot. 'They're headed toward the marble staircase. We'd better hurry.' He squeezed past them, his wand held out in front of him. 'Dissendium!' He said, tapping the stone ceiling. With the sound of grinding stone a small hatch appeared.

'There, ladies first,' said George, extending his hand to Willow.

'If you even think about looking under my skirt, I swear I'll jinx you so bad you won't be able to sit for a week,' said Willow dangerously.

'I wouldn't dream of it, my dear,' said George amused as he gave her a nudge. 'Jude?'

She shook her head as his voice brought her back to reality. She hadn't moved since she saw the curly green words on the map.

Judy moved without realising what she was doing and allowed George to help her onto the third floor corridor. The twins followed her, Fred at the back. The four of them had climbed out of the hump of the one-eyed witch, which Fred now closed with a spell.

'Don't forget the map,' whispered George urgently as the sound of all too familiar footsteps echoed through the marble staircase.

Fred tapped the map with his wand. 'Mischief managed.' The parchment went blank again.

'Now what?' asked Willow, peering around the statue.

'Sounds like Filch is on the fourth floor,' said Fred, 'if we hurry we can make it to the Great Hall before him noticing we've been here.'

'Sounds like a good plan,' said George, taking Willow's hand and pulling her along.

The three of them didn't turn until they reached the marble staircase.

'Jude?'

'What?' She looked up at them, half taken up by her own thoughts, as she still stood near the statue.

'Come on (!),' said Fred urgently.

'I'm not…I'm not going,' she said absently. 'I mean, look at me…' she gestured at her mud covered clothes. 'I need to take a shower first.'

'Are you sure?' asked George, worried. 'If Filch catches you…'

'He won't catch her,' said Fred as he rushed back to her. 'You know how to use it now.' He pushed the parchment in her hands. 'Just make sure you clear it when you're done.'

'Thanks,' said Judy with a small smile as their eyes met. Fred nodded before turning and rushing to the other two on the stairs.

'I'll bring you back something,' whispered Willow quickly as George pulled her down the marble staircase, followed closely by Fred.

Judy stared after them, the blank piece of parchment in her hands, as the sound of rushing footsteps faded and a distant sound of slower footsteps drew nearer. She stepped behind the statue of the hump backed one-eyed witch and pressed herself against it as she drew out her wand.

'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' she whispered as she tapped the parchment. Within seconds thin ink lines spread across the surface and formed the many corridors and rooms of Hogwarts once again. She did her utmost to ignore the words appearing at the top of the map.

Filch's dot was moving down the marble staircase and Judy could hear his footsteps clearly as he reached the landing of the third floor. She held her breath as Mrs. Norris' smaller dot started moving toward her.

'Anything there, my sweet?' asked Filch, more gently than Judy had ever heard him speak. She froze as Mrs. Norris meowed in response.

For a few seconds there was no sound and Judy pressed back against the statue even more as she heard the sound of paws and feet again. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. As she looked down at the map she saw the two small dots moving down the marble staircase toward the second floor.

Judy waited for Filch to reach the end of the second floor corridor before moving toward the marble staircase and heading to Ravenclaw Tower. The common room was, as she had expected, deserted.

She walked slowly up to her dormitory, her mind in a completely different place than her body. Without looking at the map in her hands, she knew the green letters were still at the top of it, screaming to her mind.

She reached her bed, without remembering anything about the way she got there. She let her red shoulder bag fall to the floor and sat down at the foot of the bed, the map still in here hands…her eyes fixed on her father's nickname.

He made the map she was holding, he and three of his friends, though she didn't recognize any of the other names on the map. A tear slid down her cheek as she realised what that fact meant. Sirius knew of all the secret passage ways into the castle; there would be no need for him to face the Dementors if he intended to enter the castle…And she was the only one who knew that it was only a matter of time before he put that knowledge to use. She stuffed the piece of parchment in her pocket, not able to look at it any longer.

As she gathered a bunch of clean clothes, she blocked out all of the thoughts racing through her head…all the doubts about the decisions she had made…about not telling Lupin anything of what she knew…about protecting Sirius from his awful sentence.

Judy looked up as the dormitory door creaked. Duncan stopped in the doorway, his tail held proudly in the air as he looked at her inquisitively. She walked over to him and knelt down in front of him, looking in his yellow eyes.

'Friends?' asked Judy quietly. Duncan jumped on her lap, making her drop her clothes to the floor, and started licking the tears from her cheeks. Judy smiled as she hugged him tightly. 'You know, I brought you something…' Duncan jumped from her arms, turned around and looked at her expectantly.

Judy opened her bag, pushed aside the Fizzing Wizbees she had brought back for Lupin and took out the magical bale of wool Fred had bought her at Zonko's. She rolled it toward Duncan and watched him scratch it. As Fred had explained to her, every trace of damage disappeared straight away; every loose strand found its way into the bale again, making Duncan put even more effort into destroying it.

She took up her clothes from the floor and headed toward the round stone staircase. She drew the map from her pocket, made sure the corridors were clear and headed outside.

&

Judy's hair was still dripping as she got dressed in the solitary light of the candle-filled chandelier. The white fluffy towel she had taken from the pile in the corner, lay forgotten at her feet. The white marble sunken bathtub was now empty safe for the spots of foam which had lingered behind. Judy had only been in the Prefect's bathroom once before, in the year that Willow had received her badge. She had been relieved to find that the password hadn't changed; she needed an undisturbed bath to sort out her thoughts.

She combed her hair with the bubblegum pink brush she received the year before from Tonks and looked at the single art piece in the room as she braided her hair. It was a painting of a mermaid which looked rather flirtatious and to which Judy had never taken a liking too.

Judy put her towel in the laundry basket next to the pile of clean towels and cast one more glance around the room to make sure nobody knew she had been there. She held up the map in front of her and after seeing none of the dots were near her she tapped it with the end of her wand. 'Mischief managed.'

She picked up the pile of filthy clothes from the floor and left the bathroom, stepping into the fifth floor corridor. She listened for a moment, but the castle seemed deserted, meaning that the feast hadn't ended yet. However, Judy felt so exhausted by the events of the day that she couldn't even think about food.

She was about to make her way to the door on the fifth floor which led to Ravenclaw Tower, when she heard an aggravated cry in the distance. She waited for a moment and then the cry was followed by what clearly sounded as a tear of cloth. Without thinking Judy made a right and headed toward the sound. She didn't know why she walked toward it, instead of looking for someone else for help. She only knew deep down that this was what she had to do.

She quickened her pace as she heard another tear, turning left and then right. She cursed as she had to wait for another staircase to turn her way and already jumped on it before it stood still.

When she reached the seventh floor she looked up at the portrait of the Fat Lady, obscured by a man in torn, faded white and blue striped clothing. Long, greasy dark hair hung down the man's shoulders and if it hadn't been for his posture, Judy would have thought him to be female. Then, she couldn't breathe…

She stood motionless, watching the man waving his arms widely at the Fat Lady who screamed in fear.

'Let me in, you stupid…'

'No, on…only those who ha…ha…have the password may…may enter,' she said half sobbing, half-screaming.

'Oh you…' Judy heard several swear words for which Lupin would have made her clean her mouth with soap. A glint of silver reflected the sunlight falling down the staircase and then there was another tear of cloth.

'No! Leave her alone!' The words had escaped her mouth before she realized it. The Fat Lady fled into a neighbouring picture as the man turned around. He looked insane, his hair unkempt and his eyes glinting with madness. Judy looked at him as he looked down at her, his knife still in his hand. She dropped the pile of filthy clothes to the floor, completely in shock.

Sirius Black lowered his knife in disbelief, staring at her as the same recognition dawned on him as it had done on her seconds before. 'Judy…'

She held his gaze, hoping he wouldn't move closer to her. She had never believed her father to be guilty of a crime, but now that she saw him before her, saw what he had become…and yet, despite the fear bubbling inside of her, she couldn't scream for help, she couldn't betray him…

Below, the sound of students filled the staircase. The feast was over and everybody would be returning to their common rooms to relax in front of the fireplaces and play games with their House mates. Judy looked down for a moment, watching the mass file in the hall and then up the staircase.

As she looked back, she saw that Sirius Black had broken into a run up the stairs and then made a right. He turned in the doorway, casting her one more glance before disappearing from view.

Judy hesitated as what to do next; wait for students to reach her level and fill them in on what had happened…fill the Professors in on what had happened…betray her father…

She quickly gathered her dirty clothes and broke into a run down the stairs, nearly tripping over her own feet. She turned right as she reached the landing of the fifth floor, rushing through the hall lined with portraits and coming to a halt in front of the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.

The golden raven doorknob in front of her opened its beak.

'What is the difference between a werewolf and an Animagus?'

'An Animagus can change at will, a werewolf can't.' said Judy, trying to ignore the horrible feeling at the coincidence of having to answer that particular question. Her father after all was an Animagus, whereas Lupin, who would definitely kill her if he found out what she knew, was a werewolf.

Judy was relieved to find the common room empty. As she rushed upstairs to her dormitory, she found nothing had changed there either. Duncan looked up from his new toy as Judy dropped her clothes on the bed, dug into her trunk, pulled out her History of Magic book and then rushed back down to the common room again. She let herself fall on the blue sofa next to the largest bookcase. She had barely managed to open her book when the first Ravenclaws filed into the room.

She ignored the flock of students filling the room and sunk as low on the sofa as she could, pretending to be submerged in her reading.

'Hey!' One of the first years called as he ran into the common room, pushing several people aside. Judy's heart sank. 'Some one's attacked the Fat Lady!'

The room started to empty again, as students rushed toward the marble stairs to watch the ruined Gryffindor portrait. As Judy looked up, knowing she would look suspicious ignoring the announcement entirely, she saw Willow pushing herself through the students rushing outside.

'Will you all calm down? There's no need to rush outside, I am sure Professor Flitwick, ouch that's my toe!' She paused for a moment. 'Will you all listen, I am a Prefect!' Five more students rushed past her and then the common room was almost deserted again.

'You OK?' asked Judy carefully.

'Bloody kids, no respect for authority…' said Willow annoyed.

'I bet Snape would say the same thing about you,' offered Judy, with a smile she hoped hid her feelings of fear.

'That's different,' said Willow, 'that's Snape.'

'It's Professor Snape!' called Chelsea, who seemed to be the only student that didn't rush out of the room again.

'Would you relax, he's not in the room…' said Willow, rolling her eyes. 'Besides, he's not going to treat you any better no matter what you call him. He's just a git.' Chelsea let out an indignant gasp.

'How you ever became Prefect,' Judy said amused.

'I know,' Willow smiled at her.

'Willow, I could use a little help here!' Penelope's voice sounded in the distance.

'Oh…Well, I'd better go after them little buggers. I'm guessing I have to bring them back to the common room…' She rolled her eyes. 'See you later, all right?' Willow walked back to the door.

'Yeah, I'll see you later,' said Judy, doing her best to focus on her book as Chelsea sat down beside her.

'Why weren't you at the feast?' asked Chelsea softly.

'Homework,' offered Judy, knowing the other girl would understand.

'Oh, yeah I've got the same problem,' said Chelsea as she ran her fingers through her long blond hair. 'I mean, I'm doing all right with keeping up and all, but a little more spare time wouldn't hurt…'

'My thoughts exactly,' offered Judy with the best smile she could manage as she tried to block out the horrible feeling in her stomach.

'For Merlin's sake, you're studying on Saturday eve?!' Both Judy and Chelsea looked up to meet Shania's eyes. 'Do you even know what's going on out there?'

'We heard somebody attacked the Fat Lady,' offered Chelsea.

'Not just somebody,' said Shania as she walked over to them and a flock of students rushed inside the common room and toward their dormitory. 'It's Sirius Black.'

'Sirius Black?!' asked Chelsea in disbelief.

'That's right,' said Willow, making her way through a worried looking group of first years. 'Come on, you heard what Dumbledore said. Hurry up!' The young Ravenclaws rushed away from her, not daring to look back.

'What did Dumbledore say?' asked Chelsea.

'We're all sleeping in the Great Hall tonight or at least until they've found Black or make sure he's not in the castle anymore,' explained Willow.

Judy stared at the pages of her book without taking in any of the words. It was all she could do the hide the fear raging on inside of her. Fear of what would happen if Dumbledore found out what she had been hiding, fear of what Lupin would say if he found out she had betrayed his trust and most of all the fear of the man she had just seen on the seventh floor. A father she didn't recognize no matter how hard she tried…an escaped murderer from Azkaban.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: **First of all my apologies for this chapter taking four months to write. I've had a very busy few months due to a new job and I had a lot of trouble with writing the chapter, because I wanted to cram way too much stuff into it. I ended up splitting the chapter in two. I'm pleased with how this chapter turned out, I hope you will be too. Thanks for sticking with the story, especially to Katie for always taking the time to comment (on the funfiction boards) and everybody who commented here on . Your feedback really inspires me to keep writing :).

**Chapter 10**

**An (un)Expected Turn of Events**

Sirius Black's break in was the most talked about subject among the Hogwarts' students in the week that followed the event. Not only was he mentioned constantly in the hallways, even in classes students could not refrain from whispering the latest rumours.

Judy had heard several second years speculate about Sirius hiding in the Chamber of Secrets, while a few fifth years whispered he was somewhere in the forbidden third floor corridor awaiting a second chance to break into Gryffindor tower. Fred and George particularly enjoyed feeding the rumours and scaring the first years into staying in their common room. Chelsea's younger sister Evelyn for example refused to leave Ravenclaw tower alone; meaning that Chelsea often had to walk her to classes. Something for which she had taken a thorough disliking to the twins.

Not being able to hear any more rumours spread either by the twins or other students, Judy spent most of her spare time in her dormitory. Though she had been intent on using her time studying, she wasn't able to open any of her study books. Sirius was constantly on her mind.

Judy leaned against the wooden pillar of her four poster bed, her legs propped up under her in a lotus position as she listened to the gale outside. Rain lashed against the small windows in the dormitory as the wind howled endlessly. Usually Judy liked the stormy weather; the castle with its many lit fireplaces always had a very warm atmosphere. Now, however, she could only think about the effect the weather had on the escaped prisoner hiding from the Dementors.

Her new sketchbook lay open on her lap, her latest drawing looking up at her; Harry Potter nearly lay flat on his broom as he tried to reach for the Snitch. It was the drawing she promised to make for Ginny. Judy had hoped drawing would help to get her mind of things, but for the past hour she had only looked at the paper, an unused piece of charcoal in her hand.

Duncan lay at the end of her bed, only half toying with his magical bale of wool as he kept his eyes on her. Judy sighed as she put her sketchbook down on the bed and glanced at the pile of books on her nightstand. She laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling; today she found it even harder to concentrate on anything than the entire week combined. She knew all too well why; that night it was going to be a full moon.

She rolled over on her side and looked at the open trunk beside her bed. The Fizzing Whisbees Lupin had asked her to bring back the week before, still lay on top of her books, quill and ink bottles. With everything that had happened, Judy hadn't found the heart to face him outside of classes. She had spent the entire week avoiding him, not able to do what she knew deep down was inevitable; tell him the truth.

Judy pushed aside the candy and school materials and picked up her old sketchbook from the bottom of the trunk. She browsed through many drawings until she reached the last one.

A young Sirius Black looked back at her, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes and a small smile playing across his face. Judy stared at the drawing for what must have been the hundredth time that week. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how long she looked, she could see no resemblance to the man she saw on the marble stairs. And yet, here she was once again, looking at the sketch and hoping she would recognize at least a hint of the young man in the escaped prisoner she saw a week before. Just one little thing to make her feel at ease about hiding the truth from Lupin and Dumbledore. One little thing to justify the hope she still had that her father was innocent.

But there was nothing.

She leaned back against the pillar and stared out of the small window near her bed at the cloudy sky. She bit back the tears threatening to well up in her eyes as Duncan settled on her lap, sensing as well as ever that she needed his closeness.

'Are you all right?' Judy met Willow's eyes, casting her a worried glance from the doorway.

'I'm fine,' said Judy, quickly browsing to another drawing in her sketchbook to hide Sirius' image from her best friend's eyes.

'Yes, I thought so,' said Willow sarcastically as she walked over to her. 'I've never seen you looking better…' Judy couldn't help but smile; the first genuine smile she had had in the past week.

'It's depressing, isn't it?' said Willow, gesturing at the stack of books on Judy's nightstand. She sat down at the foot of the bed and turned her gaze from the pile of books to Judy. 'Are you sure you haven't bitten of more than you can chew?'

'I'm sure,' said Judy honestly. 'Besides, since when did you start worrying about my homework?' she added amused.

'I think it was around the time you stopped…' offered Willow seriously.

'You think I don't care about school anymore?' asked Judy confused.

'Well, I don't know,' said Willow truthfully. 'I mean, you spend almost all your time studying, but you've managed to drop a grade in half your courses…' Judy evaded her eyes, 'and it's been even worse this past week. You haven't done anything safe from drawing in that sketchbook of yours...while your homework is piling up like crazy…'

'I just…I'm having some trouble concentrating,' said Judy softly.

'How come?'

'I don't know.' Judy looked at the sketchbook, a drawing of Fred and George looking back at her.

'Oh no, don't tell me it's because of Fred. Because if you're wasting,-'

'It's not Fred,' said Judy quietly.

'Well, then what…?' Willow's eyes widened as she stared at Judy.

'What?' Judy looked at her apprehensively.

'It's Black, isn't it?' Judy's muscles tensed so much it hurt. She looked back at Willow, unable to say or do anything. Duncan shifted uncomfortably on her lap, sensing her distress.

'Wha…I mean, how…? Judy stuttered.

'So, I'm right?' asked Willow, showing a confusion which Judy couldn't quite place.

'You're worried about Black?'

'I…well…' She couldn't think of anything to say. There was no lie she could come up with to explain her concern about her father. No plausible story but the truth…

'Merlin's bloody beard, Jude!' Willow nearly rolled over with laughter. 'I can understand Chelsea's younger sister believing in Fred and George's rumours, but I never thought you'd fall for them so easily!'

'Rumours…' said Judy softly, trying to relax her muscles gradually, instead of slumping back against the wooden pillar in relief. 'Well,' she said, easily taking over the lie and hating herself for it, 'how do you know they're not true?'

'Oh come off it, Jude,' Willow said amused. 'First of all, we're talking about Fred and George here. Second of all, how in Merlin's name is Sirius Black supposed to get into the Chamber of Secrets?'

'I don't know,' Judy shrugged. 'I mean, if Voldemort can get into Hogwarts…'

'I swear, if you mention his name one more time I'll put a Silencing Charm on you,' said Willow dangerously. She shook off the uncomfortable feeling the name had given her, her long red hair rippling on her back. Judy smiled at her; it never ceased to amaze her how scared people could be of a name.

'Seriously though,' Willow continued, 'Do you really believe Black is still here at Hogwarts?'

'May be not inside the castle,' offered Judy, deciding to reveal a part of her real fear, 'but I think he's close. And he didn't get into Gryffindor tower last time, so he's bound to back…and what'll happen then?'

'Then he'll get chucked back into Azkaban and get the Dementor's kiss,' offered Willow a bit too lightly for Judy's liking.

'He already got past the Dementors once,' retorted Judy, once again speaking her real worries.

'Oh, I'm not talking about him being caught by Dementors…' said Willow mysteriously.

'Then what do you mean?'

'Well,' the red haired Ravenclaw turned back to the dormitory door to make sure it was closed and then said: 'I'm not supposed to tell you this…but after Black's break in the Ministry thought it necessary to heighten security around here.'

'But Dumbledore would never allow more Dementors to,-'

'Not Dementors, Jude,' interrupted Willow. 'Aurors!'

'Aurors?!' asked Judy in disbelief. 'I have never seen any Aurors at Hogwarts…'

'That's because Dumbledore doesn't want the students to know that they are here,' offered Willow. 'He's afraid students will panic if they realise how dangerous the Ministry believes Black to be.'

'But if they're in the castle then students must have seen them…'

'It's unbelievable how much you think like a Muggle at times…' said Willow, shaking her head. 'Do you remember a little thing called a Disillusionment Charm?'

'Hang on, that explains why I saw that first year bumping into something twice yesterday and there wasn't even anything there…'

'Ah yes, he gave my Dad a bruise on his right shin…' said Willow amused.

'That was your Dad?' asked Judy interested.

'He was on guard duty yesterday,' explained Willow. 'There is a different Auror every day, so none of them have to use the Charm for too long. I think that guy with the scars and the magical glass eye is on today…'

'Alastor Moody,' said Judy, thinking. She knew that wherever he went, Tonks was never far behind. And if there was one thing she needed right now it was a talk with someone she trusted more than anyone in the world. 'Who else are there?'

'I don't know,' Willow shrugged. 'My Dad only told me about that Mad Eye guy so I'd stay away from him. Dad doesn't really trust him, I think.' explained Willow. 'But he didn't tell me anything else. He'll be in enough trouble if somebody finds out he told me this much…and even more if anybody knows I told you,' she added meaningfully.

'We're best mates, Will,' offered Judy. 'I'd never tell on you.'

'I know. Just checking. ' Willow smiled at her. 'So, feel like coming down to dinner?'

'I'll just clean this up and meet you in the common room in five,' said Judy, already getting up from the bed. She gathered the pieces of charcoal and put them neatly in a small box. Then she picked up her sketchbooks, turned on her heel and stopped dead as she noticed Willow still standing in the doorway, a serious expression on her face. 'What's wrong, Will?'

'Nothing,' she shook her head as if awakening from a daydream. 'It's just…you know you can tell me everything, right Jude?'

'I know,' Judy forced her lips into a small smile. 'But I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me, Willow.'

'Yeah…' Willow said absently before turning on her heel and walking down the spiral stone staircase leading to the common room.

Judy waited till her best friend was out of earshot before she let out a stifled sob. She put her sketchbooks back in her trunk, pushing Lupin's Fizzing Whisbees aside. She sat down on the bed, drew a deep breath and quickly dabbed her watery eyes; there was nothing she hated more than having to lie straight to her best friend's face.

Duncan meowed softly as he rubbed his head against her arm. Judy sighed as she stroked his dark fur. She knew she couldn't take everything on her own much longer. She took a few moments to still her emotions, got to her feet and walked toward the dormitory door. May be she wouldn't have to go through all of it on her own…

'Duncan,' she turned in the doorway. If she was going to go through with her plan, she could use a little hand finding the person she was looking for. 'Mad Eye Moody is in the castle….I think Dora should be somewhere around here too. Keep an eye out for her.' The dark cat blinked twice before leaping off the bed and rushing past her down the stone steps.

Judy straightened her blouse and skirt which were wrinkled because she'd lain on the bed. She took a deep breath before heading down the small staircase and meeting her classmates' gazes with the best smile she could manage.

&

Judy was the first Ravenclaw in the common room the next morning. She hadn't slept during most of the night; nightmares about a werewolf chasing her through the Forbidden Forest had been the cause of that. The guilt she felt about avoiding Lupin all week didn't subside till the first sunrays fell through the window next to her four poster bed, bringing another thought to her mind. A thought which made her leave her bed two hours earlier than usual. One of the most exciting Quidditch matches of the year: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

Judy zipped up her boots as she sat alone on the blue sofa. She wore the signed Quidditch shirt Willow had given her for her birthday with a green long sleeve shirt underneath. Dark blue skinny jeans and dark green flat boots gave the necessary feminine touch to her look; something which she'd paid more attention to since her relationship with Oliver Wood the year before.

'I thought it was you heading down the stairs early…' Judy turned on the couch, to face the familiar voice. Cho Chang cast Judy a grin as she walked over to her. Cho was a very talented Seeker who played on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Her long dark hair was a bit shorter than Judy's and coarse as opposed to Judy's wavy hair.

'Had a good night's sleep?' asked Judy amused.

'Better than when it's our game…' said Cho as she let herself fall on the couch. 'You?'

'Some,' Judy shrugged. 'Gryffindor versus Slytherin is always an exciting game.' Cho looked at her, confused.

'Haven't you heard yet? Slytherin is not playing because Malfoy is still having trouble with his arm,' said Cho, not sounding convinced of Draco's injury.

'What?!' exclaimed Judy in disbelief. 'That's absolute rubbish. That happened like two months ago!'

'I know,' said Cho. 'Everybody knows it's rubbish. The only reason they are not playing is because of this awful weather,' she offered, gesturing at the pouring rain.

'Great. Wood must be furious. He's trained his team to play against Slytherin and now...well since you're not playing, I'm guessing they have to play Hufflepuff?' Cho nodded. 'Poor Oliver. His last chance at the Cup and he's off to this start.'

'I know,' agreed Cho. 'I mean, it'll heighten our chances at the Cup, but I'd rather lose than win it this way.'

'Couldn't agree with you more, but I guess there's nothing left for us to do but wait and see what happens...' offered Judy, her uplifted mood dampened somewhat by the news.

'And cheer even louder than usual,' offered Cho with a grin. 'I mean, we'll...hang on, how did you get that?!' Cho looked at Judy's T-shirt with widened eyes. 'Aidan Lynch?!'

'Birthday present from Willow,' said Judy amused. 'Do you like it?'

'Is that a rhetorical question?' asked Cho with an arched brow.

Both girls turned on the sofa as other Ravenclaw students entered the common room. Judy could easily pick out the first years by the sparkle of excitement in their eyes. She could remember all too well how excited she had been in her first year to go see her first Hogwarts Quidditch match.

'I suppose you got another yell prepared?' asked Cho amused.

'I'm afraid I've been too busy with homework to prepare one,' said Judy apologetically. She and Tonks had been infamous among the students for their Quidditch yells. 'I'm sure you won't mind listening to Lee Jordan's comments for a change...if you're able to hear them with that wind howling...'

'There you are!' Both Cho and Judy turned on their seat. Marietta Edgecombe, Cho's best friend, walked up to them. 'Hungry enough for breakfast?'

'Yes, I mean…' Cho looked at Judy, hesitating.

'Don't worry, my friends,-'

'Who's ready to kick some Hufflepuff ass?!' Shania's familiar voice sounded loudly down the stone steps.

'- will be down in a minute…' said Judy, casting Cho a smile.

'See you around, Jude!' Cho waved at her, before following her friend to the door leading to the fifth floor corridor.

'Jude, are you down here?' Judy turned in her seat to look at Shania, who stood at the bottom of the spiral stone staircase. Shania's hair was divided in about a hundred braids, of which some were coloured red and yellow, the colours of Gryffindor. Willow followed in Shania's wake, her red dress and black suede boots were a bit too much for a Quidditch match, but it didn't surprise Judy at all to see her dressed up like that.

'Don't tell me you used magic to make those,' Judy said, gesturing at Shania's red and yellow braids.

'OK, then I won't,' Shania offered with a grin. Abigail snorted loudly as she walked past them. Judy noticed she wore a silver and green band in her hair; despite the fact that Slytherin wouldn't be playing Abigail still wanted to show which House she supported in Quidditch.

'Oh, I'd like to see how condescending she is when Gryffindor wins the Cup,' said Willow annoyed.

'You're a Prefect, Will…' Judy reminded her. 'It's your job to keep hostilities between students to a minimum.' She added meaningfully.

'Well, I am keeping it to a minimum,' said Willow defensively. 'The only hostility I have is toward her…' Both Judy and Shania arched a brow. 'Oh come on, she started it, if she wants to boast about her preference for Slytherin all the time she's just asking for it.'

'Willow!' Penelope walked up to the three of them, fuming. 'A word alone, now!'

&

'You don't suppose Penelope can take away her Prefect badge, do you?' asked Shania as she and Judy descended the marble staircase.

'I think only teachers have that authority,' said Judy truthfully. 'Or may be just Dumbledore.'

'I hope so,' said Shania, 'I don't care how much she says she thinks her responsibilities are annoying, it's going to kill her if they take away her badge...'

'What's going on?' Both girls looked over their shoulder as Aidan caught up with them, followed by Chelsea and Connor. 'We overheard Penelope talking to Willow...'

'More like yelling,' offered Connor.

'Willow made a remark about Abigail,' explained Shania meaningfully, 'Penelope overheard...'

'She'll probably just get a warning,' said Aidan, not sounding worried at all. 'She'll have to do much more to lose her badge...'

'Well, you would know,' offered Shania, 'being the most punished student after them Weasley twins...'

'Guilty as charged,' offered Aidan with a grin as they entered the crowded Great Hall.

All four House tables were lined by students enjoying their breakfast and eagerly discussing that day's Quidditch match. The Hall's ceiling showed an ominous cloudy sky with pouring rain and howling winds.

Judy barely heard Shania's comment about her hair going all frizzy as she noticed Abigail sitting alone at the end of the Ravenclaw table. Judy followed her gaze toward the Slytherin table and noticed Abigail's younger brother Kenneth talking animatedly to his fellow first years. Judy couldn't help but feel sympathy for Abigail. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if she were sorted into a different House than she had wanted to.

'We're going to join her, right?' asked Chelsea hesitantly.

'Of course we are,' said Judy, already walking to the end of the long House table. She could never let her House mate sit alone, knowing how it felt to be an outcast from being brought up by Lupin and having to hide her identity for nearly all her life.

She looked up at the teachers' table, noticing Lupin's empty seat with a pang of guilt. He'd have to be still in bed resting; his transformations always cost most of his energy. Judy didn't expect to see him out and about any time soon; which, to her own dislike, made her feel quite relieved.

They spent most of breakfast discussing the upcoming match. Aidan and Shania seemed to be getting along better than usual; siding for the same team apparently had a good effect on them. Abigail refrained from most of the discussion, since she was the only one who didn't support Gryffindor, and spent her time talking to Chelsea, who wasn't that much into Quidditch anyway.

It wasn't till the end of lunch that Willow joined them. She sat down next to Judy, grabbed a sandwich and didn't say a word of what had been said between her and Penelope.

'Are you OK?' asked Judy in a whisper as their classmates were emerged in their own conversations.

'I'll live,' offered Willow in a would be casual tone. 'She didn't take it...' she added. Judy nodded in understanding, feeling relieved. No matter how casual Willow acted about being a Prefect, Judy knew all too well how much it meant to her.

&

Fifteen minutes later the sixth year Ravenclaws, among a mass of students, hurried through the Hogwarts grounds to the Quidditch stadium. Umbrellas flew past them, separated from their rightful owners by the wind. Judy was glad she'd thought on bringing a poncho with her, which kept her hair and clothing dry. Willow on the other hand wasn't wearing anything against the rain apart from her winter coat. When they finally reached the stadium and halted in the corridor leading to the stands, Willow's long red hair dripped with water and her coat was soaked to her skin.

'You know, you're going to catch pneumonia,' said Judy concerned.

'Forget getting sick,' said Willow, leaning against the wall as her mascara ran down her cheeks. 'I look a mess, don't I?'

Judy sighed. 'Come on,' she pulled Willow with her to a deserted corner.

'Anything I can do?' Shania had followed the pair of them. 'I've asked the others to save us seats.'

'You can keep an eye out,' offered Judy, as she carefully drew out her wand. She cast several Drought Charms on Willow's clothing, boots and hair. She cleaned Willow's face and did a complex Charm which Tonks had taught her, changing Willow's run down make-up back into perfection.

'What do you think, Shania?' asked Judy, making her room mate turn.

'Couldn't have done it better myself,' said Shania with a grin. 'You look stunning, Will.'

'Yeah?' asked Willow, sounding somewhat insecure. 'I mean, do you think-'

'Out of the way, Beaters coming through!'

Judy looked over her shoulder in time to see Fred and George rush toward them through the crowd in the corridor. She startled as she suddenly felt an arm around her waist. Fred stood beside her with a grin.

'Thought you might need this,' said Fred as he handed her his Gryffindor scarf. Judy always borrowed it whenever Gryffindor played; except when they were facing Ravenclaw of course.

'Thanks. Running a bit late, aren't you?' asked Judy truthfully.

'Forgot our clubs,' explained Fred as he held up his.

'And sir Cadogan refused to let us leave the dorm without answering his challenge; our clubs against his sword,' said George, standing beside Willow and clearly not able to take his eyes of her.

'It took us a while to push his portrait out of the way, but here we are,' said Fred with a grin.

'And how come you're here with us, instead of with your team mates?' asked Shania confused.

'Oh well,' said Fred, his expression turning grave. 'Well, as you know Slytherin was too scared to play us, so we're playing Hufflepuff. A totally different opponent, as I am sure you'll agree.' Shania, nodded, looking somewhat confused. 'So,' Fred's gaze turned to Judy. 'We figured we could do with a little kiss for good luck?'

'Oh, you're hopeless,' Judy shook her head in amusement as she looked at his pleading eyes. She sighed, leaned over and kissed his cheek. 'What if you lose?' she asked.

'Then you'll have to kiss me on the lips next time.' Fred laughed as he rushed away from her. Judy looked after him, smiling.

'What about you?' she heard Willow speak in a whisper. George still stood beside her, his ears turning red as he searched for an answer.

'Well, they'll have a better chance with two lucky Beaters than just one,' offered Judy, deciding to lend a helping hand.

'She has a good point...' interjected Shania who completely understood Judy's intentions and decided to contribute her bit. 'A bit of extra luck won't hurt…'

George's ears were red like tomatoes as Willow looked from Judy to Shania. There was a only a short moment of hesitation in Willow's eyes. Her lips soon curled up in a smile; a smile Judy knew all too well.

'I'd better make sure you're extra lucky then...' said Willow. She flung her arms around George's neck and smothered whatever he wanted to say in response with a long kiss on his mouth.

Judy and Shania cheered loudly and gave each other a high five, making several students look at them like they'd gone mad.

But Judy couldn't care less about how many students were looking at her or what they were thinking. As she saw her two best friends finally expressing their love for each other, she was only thankful that for the first time in months she felt like a normal sixteen year old again.

&

Ten minutes later the three girls waded their way through the Ravenclaw stands, toward their fellow sixth years. Judy and Shania kept casting each other a grin as Willow walked in between them, her thoughts clearly lingering on one particular Beater.

'Finally!' said Aidan as the three witches reached their friends. 'What took you three so long?'

'None of your bloody business,' said Shania, though more amused than annoyed. Aidan cast her an approving grin.

'You almost missed the start of the match,' said Chelsea, who shared an umbrella with Connor, meaning the two of them stood against each other. Judy knew neither of them minded it one bit.

'In case any of you care, they're walking onto the pitch...' offered Abigail, in her usual manner.

The Gryffindor team was the first to walk out on the muddy pitch, their scarlet robes quickly absorbing the rain. A strong gush of wind made all the players stagger sideways before regaining their balance.

Judy and Willow burst out cheering as the twins thrust their clubs in the air. 'Go Weasleys!!!' They called out in unison.

The Hufflepuff players approached the Gryffindor team from the opposite side of the pitch in canary-yellow robes. Cedric Diggory, the new Hufflepuff team captain, walked at the front of the group.

'That Diggory guy is something, isn't he?' said Shania, nudging Abigail who arched a brow at her. 'Come on Abby, if he were in Ravenclaw...'

'He's OK,' Abigail shrugged with a small smile, making Shania grin.

Diggory and Wood met in the middle of the pitch and shook hands. Judy couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Wood so tense.

'I hope he wins...' she whispered, making Willow turn to look at her. 'What? I just do.' said Judy defensively as Willow looked at her sceptically.

Judy quickly turned her attention back to the game. Madam Hooch told the team members to mount their brooms and with a high pitched whistle, the game started.

The players rose in the air quickly, their Seekers rising even higher. The Gryffindor Chasers raced around the pitch, throwing the Quaffle toward each other as the Hufflepuff players tried to steal it from them. Fred and George fervently swung their clubs at the Bludgers, but their aim was less accurate than usual due to the ferocious wind steering their brooms off course.

'Look at Potter,' said Aidan, pointing toward the sky. 'He can never find the Snitch in this weather...not with those glasses and that rain.'

'He could if he used an Impervius charm,' offered Chelsea. 'His glasses should repel the water then.'

'It doesn't look like he's used any spell,' said Connor, as Harry was nearly knocked of his broom by a Bludger.

'Is Lee even commenting?' asked Judy, her question followed by a roar of thunder.

'Looks like he's having an argument with McGonagall,' offered Shania as she peered at the teachers' stand. 'Probably wants to turn up the volume...'

'Yes! Way to go Angelina!' Willow suddenly yelled. Judy looked back at the pitch, but she had already missed Gryffindor's first goal.

As the match continued, the weather worsened and so did the players. Despite wearing a poncho and dry clothes underneath, Judy was frozen to her skin and she knew that high up in the air it was even colder than in the stands. Fred and George were clearly having more and more trouble aiming their Bludgers at the opposite team and nearly unseated Wood off his broom, twice. Harry seemed to be having more and more trouble seeing and flew into Katie Bell and Cedric Diggory, nearly making the first plummet down into the mud.

'Oh this is awful,' said Willow as the first flash of lightning appeared in the sky and Madam Hooch blew her whistle to call for a time out.

Both teams flew toward the ground and huddled under an umbrella at either side of the pitch to discuss their game tactics.

'They'd better do something about Potter's glasses, or they'll have no chance at the Snitch,' offered Aidan.

'Well, they can't use magic,' protested Abigail, 'that would be against the rules.'

'Oh come off it,' said Willow, annoyed. 'It's not like they're using Felix Felicis or anything.'

'That's not the point,-'

Judy didn't hear the rest of the argument as she looked down at the Gryffindor team, smiling. She'd seen one of Harry's best friends, Hermione Granger, rush to the team and back to the stands again. Hermione Granger had the reputation of being one of the smartest witches at Hogwarts, and Judy had no doubt as to what spell she had performed, hidden from the audience by her cloak and the Gryffindor team's umbrella.

'They're starting again,' said Judy as she watched the Gryffindor team mount their brooms and kick off into the air again. 'What was the score again?'

'Gryffindor is fifty points up,' offered Connor.

'Potter is flying fast,' said Aidan, looking up at the Gryffindor Seeker. 'He's going to have to catch that Snitch if they want to win.'

'Diggory is doing some good flying too...' offered Shania.

Chelsea yelped as a loud clap of thunder filled the air, immediately followed by a flash of forked lightning. Connor put his arm around her to calm her as another flash of lighting illuminated the pitch.

'What's Potter doing?!' asked Willow confused. Judy followed Willow's gaze to the Gryffindor Seeker, who was staring at the top of the Gryffindor stands. Judy followed his eyes, but saw nothing apart from the empty top rows.

'Merlins' bloody beard, behind you Potter!' yelled Aidan at the top of his lungs, making Judy turn back to the game again. Cedric Diggory speeded across the pitch, a tiny ball of gold fluttering in between him and Harry.

Harry, awakening from his reverie, quickly raced toward the Snitch, lying flat on his broom.

'He's never going to make it,' said Willow anxiously. 'He'll...' She fell silent all of a sudden. Judy knew exactly why, she felt it too. All around them students stopped cheering and huddled together as they realised what was happening.

Judy shivered as the familiar cold lay its blanket over her and penetrated her skin.

'Dear Merlin!' Chelsea said anxiously as she pointed at the pitch. Judy followed her gaze toward the field.

Dozens of cloaked Dementors stood in the centre of the pitch, looking up at the Quidditch players. Oliver Wood swayed as he flew toward Katie Bell, who was shaking on her broom. Fred grabbed George's arm in time as his hand slipped on the handle of his broom.

'Thank Merlin,' whispered Willow relieved.

'HARRY!' His name had escaped Judy's lips before she realized it. She stared at the Gryffindor Seeker as he sat, seemingly unconscious, on his broom and slipped off. 'Harry!' Judy repeated, the cold in her heart growing even stronger.

_Not Harry, don't take Harry too.._

Judy looked at the boy who had been like a younger brother to her, hoping, begging for his well being. She grabbed Aidan's shoulder as a green flash of light nearly blinded her.

_'Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-' _

Judy watched at the falling boy in horror as she realized she'd heard Lily Potter's familiar voice in her head. Then, with no warning, Harry fell to the ground much slower than before. Dumbledore was standing on the pitch, pointing his wand at Harry. Then he flicked it at the Dementors and a bright silver Patronus burst from the tip.

Chelsea turned scarlet and Abigail muttered disapprovingly as Dumbledore yelled after the Dementors.

'Are you OK?' asked Aidan, his voice sounding distant. Judy met his eyes for a moment, nodding absently as she let go of his shoulder.

All the students watched in silence as Dumbledore whipped up a stretcher out of thin air in the middle of the pitch. He magically lifted Harry up from the ground and onto the stretcher. The headmaster followed the floating stretcher out of the stadium, with everyone looking after him in silence.

It seemed as if several hours had passed when Professor McGonagall's voice sounded through the speakers.

'All students are to head back to the castle straight away. Prefects will see to it that nobody will wander the grounds alone.' None of the students moved. 'I suggest you start moving,' spoke Professor McGonagall sternly. 'Now!'

&

A large crowd filled the Entrance Hall while Prefects urged students into the castle, as McGonagall had ordered them to. Judy already saw Shania and Abigail walking up the first staircase toward the Ravenclaw common room, followed closely by Aidan, Connor and Chelsea.

Judy startled as something brushed by her feet. Duncan looked up at her expectantly as she knelt to the floor. 'You found her.' It wasn't a question. Duncan blinked twice. 'Good, now I just...' Judy looked up and saw a slender young witch with long red wet hair, a bordeaux red dress and black suede boots covered in mud standing in the large doorway. She got to her feet, walked over to Willow and placed a hand on her shoulder. Willow startled as if she'd been dreaming.

'Willow shouldn't you,-'

'Penelope can handle it,' said Willow dismissively. 'I want to wait for George, you know, to make sure he's all right...' She looked at Judy with tears in her eyes.

'Will,' Judy put her hands on her shoulders. 'Will, look at me.' Their eyes locked. 'George is fine. He's probably with Harry at the hospital wing with the rest of the team. They have Dumbledore with them, they'll be fine. Trust me.'

'But,-'

'Willow, you're a Prefect,' interjected Judy. 'Penelope is already cross with you for what happened earlier, you can't walk out on your responsibilities now.' She kept her eyes on Willow until she nodded. 'Good, now go.'

'What about you?' asked Willow confused.

'Don't worry, I'll meet you in the common room later,' Judy smiled at her. She waited for Willow to be further along before she looked around. The Hall was emptying now, making it easier for her to find Duncan in the corner of the Hall. Though there was nothing there, Duncan was clearly being nudged away by a leg or foot. Judy walked over to him and pretended to pick him up to take him upstairs with her.

'Dora?' she whispered.

'Take that cat away from me (!)' Tonks whispered back urgently. Judy held Duncan to her chest and petted him.

'I need to talk to you,' said Judy in a low voice.

'Jude, I can't...'

'Please?' she looked up to where Tonks' face was supposed to be.

'Fine. Head for classroom eleven, I'll meet you there,' whispered Tonks back.

Judy looked around, Duncan still held to her chest, and upon seeing nobody was paying attention to her, took the corridor opposite the Great Hall, leading her away from the Entrance Hall. She cast one more glance around to make sure nobody had seen her and slipped inside the empty classroom. Duncan leapt out of her arms as soon as she closed the door. He eagerly looked around at the newly discovered room.

Judy quickly slipped out of her soaked poncho and threw it over a nearby chair to dry. She knelt down to scratch Duncan gently behind his ear, making him purr with content.

'Thank you,' said Judy, looking straight in his yellow eyes. Duncan rubbed his head against her cheek, making her laugh.

'I'm glad you're enjoying yourself.' Judy looked up in time to see the door close. 'You know,' said Tonks, as the Disillusionment Charm lifted and her purple dress, black leggings and purple pumps became visible. 'That cat could have seriously blown my cover. Moody would have killed me, Jude…'

'I'm sorry, I didn't know any other way to find you...'

'How did you know I was here anyway?' asked Tonks suspiciously.

'I can't tell you,' said Judy truthfully. 'But I swear there's nobody besides me who knows you're here.'

'Well, I suppose I'm just going to have to take your word on that,' said Tonks, pushing herself up on one of the desks. 'What happened out there, anyway? Why is everybody running inside?'

'Dementors. In the Quidditch stadium,' explained Judy, getting to her feet. Duncan stalked away from her to explore the deserted classroom.

'Great,' Tonks ran her fingers through her bubblegum pink hair. 'As if those creeps haven't caused enough trouble already...' She looked at Judy for a moment, leapt off her desk and cast a Muffliato spell at the class door. 'Do you know why we're here?' asked Tonks, turning on her heel. 'The Aurors, I mean.'

'Sirius,' said Judy softly.

'Sirius,' repeated Tonks, looking at her younger cousin. 'I read your letter.'

'Do you understand?' asked Judy carefully.

'What do you expect me to say, Jude?' Tonks sighed. 'I mean, I understand that you want to believe that Sirius is innocent, but...well, he's not.'

'You don't know that...' said Judy, her voice barely above a whisper.

'Yes, I do,' said Tonks calmly. 'He was convicted for betraying the Potters by the entire Wizengamot. It was a unanimous decision. He's guilty, Jude.'

'But...' Judy turned on her heel. She quickly brushed away her tears with the back of her sleeve. 'He can't have betrayed James and Lily like that, Dora. Not Sirius, not my father.'

'Jude...' She heard Tonks walk up to her, followed closely by a comforting hand on her shoulder. 'I'm sorry, but he's a mur-'

'Don't!' Judy stepped away from her and spun around, an anger she'd never felt before bubbling up in her chest. 'I don't care if the entire world calls him a murderer...not you Dora. You knew him and you know how much he loved me and my mother!'

'Jude,' said Tonks calmly. 'This has nothing to do with how much he loved you and your Mum. Sirius is not the man he used to be...he's not the man you remember.'

'How do you know?' asked Judy in tears. 'All you've seen is a stupid photograph in that stupid Prophet. How do you know what kind of man he is?!'

'Because,' said Tonks, looking slightly confused. 'Because he's been locked up in Azkaban for twelve years. How do *you* know what kind of man he's turned into? It's not like you...' Tonks voice wavered as their eyes met. 'No...'

'Dora,-' Judy took a few steps back as Tonks approached her.

'You saw him, didn't you?' Judy didn't respond as she looked back at her cousin. 'Jude, I know you've never lied to me in your entire life...'

'I saw him,' admitted Judy.

'When?!' Tonks stared at her in disbelief.

'When he broke into the castle at Halloween,' said Judy, watching Tonks apprehensively.

'Merlin's bloody beard, don't tell me you helped him inside!'

'I didn't,' said Judy quickly. 'I didn't. I only saw him trying to get into Gryffindor tower. I told him to stop attacking the Fat Lady. He saw me and when the rest of the students came back from the feast he fled. That's all that happened, I swear.'

'Why didn't you tell any of the staff?' asked Tonks, confused. 'I mean, if you had I would have known… '

'Because I know what would happen if I told on him...' explained Judy. 'I don't care if he deserves his sentence...I can't turn my own father in so he can receive the Dementor's kiss.'

Tonks looked at her for a moment without speaking, turned on her heel and walked away from her. Her slim fingers ran through her bubblegum pink hair as she was lost in thought. Judy couldn't do anything but stare at her cousin's back. The silence that followed seemed to last ages and the feeling of guilt and doubt about her actions didn't make enduring it any easier.

'Jude...' Tonks turned on her heel and looked at her. Judy already knew what was coming. 'You have to tell Dumbledore.'

'I know...' said Judy, leaning against the stone wall. 'It's just...he's going to tell Remus.'

'As he bloody well should...' said Tonks sharply. 'You really should have told them before. What if Sirius had done something to hurt Harry?'

'He never got inside the common room,' retorted Judy. 'I'd never let any harm come to Harry, you know that Dora,' said Judy truthfully as she thought back on Harry nearly crashing to the ground a few moments before; the memory chilled her to the bone.

'You still should have told someone,' said Tonks dismissively. 'What you did was just….stupid. I expected better of you…'

Another few moments of silence passed in which the only sound in the room was Tonks' heavy breathing caused by her anger. Judy did her utmost to avoid meeting her cousin's gaze.

'Well,' said Tonks finally, 'there's no use in stalling this any longer,' she said resolutely. She waved her wand at the door and undid the Muffliato spell she'd cast before.

'You mean…now?' asked Judy hesitantly. 'But he's probably busy with those Dementors and,-'

'The sooner Sirius is caught, the sooner the Dementors will be gone,' said Tonks briskly. Judy stared at her cousin in disbelief as a single tear slid down her cheek. 'I'm sorry Jude, but I can't indulge in this…this fantasy of yours. The sooner he is caught the better. For everybody's sake.'

Judy didn't say a word as she looked at Tonks. For some reason she had hoped, almost known for sure that her cousin would understand the choices she had made. Tonks had always understood. Tonks had always understood everything.

'I'll go with you,' said Tonks, already turning on her heel.

'No!' said Judy without thinking, the anger she'd felt before again growing in her chest. 'I'll go alone.' She didn't give her cousin time to respond as she walked out of the classroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

She halted only for a moment, deciding not to give anything of what had just happened the time to sink in, until she'd done everything she had to do. She wasn't sure she'd be able to go through with any of it if she thought too long on the consequences of the choices she had made and the ones she was making now.

Judy walked back to the deserted Entrance Hall and toward the marble staircase. She halted at the bottom, looking up the marble steps, as fear threatened to take hold of her. It wasn't so much facing Dumbledore that scared her…it was how telling the truth could change everything.

Telling the truth meant she would betray her father. Telling the truth meant admitting that she'd lied to the people who had always looked out for her. Telling the truth meant that she really would have to go through all of it on her own...

Judy took a deep breath, made her first step on the marble staircase and without thinking walked up to the stone gargoyle on the seventh floor.

'Cauldron cake.'

The stone gargoyle leapt aside as the solid wall behind the statue split in two. It revealed a spiral stone staircase, rising up like an escalator. Judy stepped on one of the stone steps, allowing it to bring her up to the headmaster's office.

She stepped onto the landing as she reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office and took hold of the brass griffin shaped knocker. The sound of brass on wood seemed to echo through her mind. Dumbledore's voice, telling her to come in, sounded from miles away.

Judy met Dumbledore's questioning gaze as she entered the circular room. He sat behind his large desk with papers and parchment covering the highly polished surface.

'Could I have a word with you, Professor?' she asked hesitantly. He surveyed her for a moment; students weren't allowed to visit the headmaster's office unless they were bidden to come there. Judy could see by the look in Dumbledore's eyes that, with Sirius on the run, she was an exception to that rule.

'I'm afraid you've picked a rather inconvenient time….' said Dumbledore, rummaging through the papers on his desk. 'Perhaps you could,-'

'It's about Sirius,' said Judy, the doorknob still in her hand. Dumbledore looked at her for moment, before motioning her to close the door.

'Have a seat, Judy,' Dumbledore's voice sounded strained, which was at least partly due to what happened that morning. Judy didn't quite meet his eyes as she sat down.

'Now,' Dumbledore leaned forward attentively and surveyed Judy over his half moon spectacles. 'You have news about Sirius?'

'Yes, sir. You see I…' she took a deep breath before finishing the sentence. 'I've seen him.'

'When?!' asked Dumbledore eagerly.

'Halloween,' said Judy hesitantly.

Dumbledore's eyes widened. 'You mean when,-'

'I didn't help him inside the castle, sir' said Judy quickly. 'I just…I…I saw him.' Dumbledore looked at her, intrigued.

'You saw him?'

'I'd fallen in the mud on my way back from Hogsmeade and instead of going to the feast I took a bath in the Prefect's bathroom,' explained Judy. 'When I went back to the common room, I heard a cry and a tear of cloth…I walked toward Gryffindor Tower, because it seemed to be coming from that direction…'

'You went to Gryffindor Tower alone?' asked Dumbledore, sounding surprised.

'I know, I shouldn't have, but…I don't know why I did it, sir. But I did,' defended Judy.

'What happened next?' asked Dumbledore interested.

'There was a man…Sirius, and he was yelling at the Fat Lady that she should let him in, but she wouldn't because he didn't know the password. And then…he had a dagger, he slashed the cloth and I screamed at him that he should stop…' She paused for air as her throat seemed to constrict with emotion. Dumbledore surveyed her attentively, leaning back in his chair. 'The Fat Lady fled and Sirius turned around and just…looked at me. And I looked back at him.'

'Did he recognize you?' asked Dumbledore.

'Yes, he did,' said Judy. 'He did. He recognized me,' she said, remembering the look in her father's eyes when he saw her.

'Did you talk to him?' Dumbledore was leaning toward her again, his hands folded in front of his mouth.

'No…' said Judy honestly. 'He only said my name and then everybody came back from the feast and he ran.' Dumbledore nodded in silence, his eyes still on her. Judy looked at everything in the room in the silence that followed, safe for the wizard sitting in front of her. Fear was once again crawling into her heart. Was what she had done really so dangerous as Tonks had implied? Was her father really a man that would betray his best friends? Had her judgement truly been so far off?

'Judy,' said Dumbledore finally, his strained voice took Judy by surprise. 'I asked you something at the beginning of the school year…'

'Harry was at the feast, I didn't think he was in any danger…' said Judy softly.

'Considering your experience with the consequences of dark magic, I expected you to know better,' said Dumbledore, leaving Judy at a loss for words. She looked down at her hands, biting back the tears threatening to well up in her eyes. '

Do you know how Sirius got into the castle or are you currently aware of his whereabouts?' Dumbledore continued.

'No, sir,' said Judy hoarsely.

'If this ever happens again…' Dumbledore drew a deep breath. 'Judy, look at me please.' She complied to his request. 'If anything happens in this castle that you know of concerning Sirius, I expect you to report it to me immediately.'

'But, sir,-'

'I will take measures if you don't…' Dumbledore looked at her sternly. Judy nodded, knowing that expulsion wasn't the worst thing she would be facing... not when Dumbledore would inform Lupin of what she had done.

'Yes sir,' said Judy, not able to say anything in her defence. Dumbledore leaned back in his high-backed chair, still surveying her.

'I suppose you wish to tell your uncle about this yourself?' Judy looked back at him, surprised that he'd give her a choice in the matter.

'I would like that, sir. Thank you,' said Judy truthfully, realising that though facing Lupin herself would be ten times harder than having him hear the truth from Dumbledore, she'd at least be able to explain herself to him in her own words.

'I suggest you tell him when he's recuperated from his…illness,' said Dumbledore kindly. 'There's no need to give him this news in his current condition, but there's no use in stalling it any longer than necessary either.'

'Yes, Professor,' said Judy, not meeting Dumbledore's eyes as she thought on how she had neglected her uncle in the past few days. 'I will tell him in a few days.'

'Good. Then I will excuse you for now. I have other pressing matters demanding my attention. But I will talk this over with your uncle as soon as you have informed him of your dreadful misjudgement,' said Dumbledore, taking up his papers again.

'Yes…' said Judy, taking in his words slowly. 'I will take my leave then.' Dumbledore gestured at the door as Judy got up from her seat.

She left the headmaster's office in a daze. Her mind was still on the conversation she'd just had when she walked down the marble staircase toward the fifth floor entrance to Ravenclaw tower.

Could her father really be, like the entire world except her seemed to believe, a spy? A traitor? How could she believe in his innocence even stronger than a few months before when the entire world thought him to be a murderer? Had her judgement really been as dreadful as Tonks and Dumbledore judged it to be?

'Jude!' She turned on her heel in the fifth floor corridor. George walked up to her in soaked Quidditch robes, looking as if he'd run a mile.

'Have you seen Willow?' he asked, panting.

'I think she's in the common room,' said Judy, trying to focus her thoughts on the conversation at hand. 'She was looking for you earlier, but I told her to attend to her Prefect duties. She was already in trouble with Penelope this morning.' Judy added as an explanation.

'How did she look?' asked George, worried. 'I mean, last time we ran into those Dementors…'

'A bit shaken,' said Judy honestly. 'But I think that goes for all of us…'

'Yes, I suppose you're right,' said George. 'Would you give her this from me?' He handed her a small note.

'Sure,' Judy took the note from him.

'Thanks. Now I'm going to get out of these clothes. If I keep this on for much longer I'm going to be in a bed next to Harry.'

'How's he doing?' asked Judy carefully, afraid of the answer.

'A few scratches,' said George dismissively. 'He was very lucky that the muddy ground and Dumbledore's spell softened his fall. He could have been a lot worse.'

'Yes, he could have…' said Judy absently, the memory of Harry's fall tainted her vision as a wave of fear and sadness swooped over her.

'Jude?' She shook her head and only now noticed George was standing directly in front of her. 'Hey, are you OK?' He asked gently as he brushed away a tear from her cheek. Judy recoiled from his touch, not having realised some of the tears she tried to hold back had spilled.

'I ehm…' she hesitated as she met his worried eyes. 'I will be. I just need to figure some things out.'

'If there's anything we can do,' George offered with a small smile, referring to himself and his twin. Judy had had more than one serious conversation with either twin in the past and she knew she wouldn't hesitate to have a good talk, if her worries concerned but the secrets she had to keep hidden.

'Thanks, George,' she said truthfully. 'But this is something I have to do on my own.' He nodded in understanding. 'Listen, would you give this back to Fred?' she asked, unravelling the Gryffindor scarf from her neck. 'Otherwise he'll accuse me of nicking it…'

'Yeah, sure,' said George as he took the scarf from her. 'Don't forget to give that to Willow, OK?' he asked, gesturing at the note in her hands.

'You just worry about getting out of those wet clothes,' said Judy amused. 'There's not much you can do together if you come down with pneumonia…' George cast her a grin. 'Don't,' said Judy warningly. 'I don't want to know…'

'Fair enough,' said George amused. 'See you later, Byrne.'

'Bye George.' Judy looked after him as he walked away from her, taking the distraction he'd offered her from her worries with him.

Judy resumed her way to Ravenclaw Tower, her mind again on how Tonks and Dumbledore, her secret keepers, had reacted to her confession. Tonks, the one person who had always listened to her and understood her, calling her beliefs a fantasy. Dumblore, one of the wisest wizards who had ever lived, believing her actions to be the consequence of dreadful misjudgement. Both of them telling her how wrong she was in believing in her father's innocence…both of them feeding the doubt in her heart.

Judy looked up as she reached the top of the tightly winding staircase. It lead up from the fifth floor to the entrance door to Ravenclaw Tower. The door with the bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle stood ajar, with a slim white hand around the edge just about to close it.

'Wait up!' Judy called, not feeling like answering a difficult question to be allowed entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.

The door slowly opened, revealing a young witch with long dirty blonde hair and silver grey eyes. Luna Lovegood wore such a dreamy look that Judy wasn't quite sure she really saw her.

'Oh, hello…' said Luna surprised.

'Thanks for holding the door for me,' said Judy, quickly putting her hand on the wooden edge. Luna had a quirky sense of humour and Judy didn't feel like her still closing the door on her.

'You're welcome,' said Luna dreamily as she already walked ahead while Judy closed the door. Judy rolled her eyes for a moment before following her. She'd met some strange witches and wizards in her lifetime, but Luna had always been a different story.

The Ravenclaw common room, with its blue and silver hangings and midnight-blue starry carpet was much more crowded than usual. It seemed that most students had chosen the common room to work out the events of that morning. All chairs and tables were taken up by students talking about the Dementor attack and others having a go at Wizard's chess to avoid having to talk at all.

'We were afraid a Dementor got hold of you…' Judy turned to her left to face Aidan, who smiled at her.

'Aidan!' Shania slapped him on the arm. 'That's not funny!'

'And just saying so wouldn't have had the desired impact?' asked Aidan, rubbing his arm. Shania didn't respond, but her lips curled up in a small smile of satisfaction.

Judy shook her head as she looked at the two of them. 'Has anyone of you seen Willow?'

'She's upstairs,' said Chelsea, who sat very close to Connor on the blue sofa. Her eyes were red, indicating she'd been crying not too long ago. As Judy glanced around the room she saw her room mate wasn't the only one.

'*George*,' mouthed Shania quietly. Judy nodded, putting her own thoughts on hold as she walked away from her friends, up the spiral stone staircase and into the dormitory where Willow lay on her bed; her face buried in her pillow and her red hair spread around her like an aura.

'Will?' asked Judy hesitantly. She turned around on the bed, looking back at Judy with bloodshot eyes.

'Where the hell were you?!' Willow yelled at her. 'I thought you were right behind me!'

'I'm sorry,' said Judy, taken aback. 'I didn't mean to,-'

'Then you shouldn't have!' snapped Willow back at her, sitting up on the bed with her loose hair tangled and her mascara running down her face. Judy looked at her best friend as the latter pulled her legs up on the bed.

'Here,' Judy walked over to her and handed her the small note. 'George asked me to give it to you.'

'George?' asked Willow, quickly grabbing the note. 'You saw him? Is he all right?'

'He's fine,' said Judy with a smile as she sat down at the foot of the bed. She leaned back against the wooden pillar as she saw Willow's lips curling into a small smile while reading the note. 'Feeling better?' asked Judy gently. Willow looked up at her, her hair covering her face as she looked back at the note again.

'I was just worried about him,' said Willow hoarsely, looking back up at Judy again.

'Will…' Judy sighed as she moved forward and brushed away the red strands from her best friend's face. 'I can understand you're worried about him, but this…'

Willow leaned back against the headboard, evading Judy's eyes. 'It's those stupid Dementors…' Judy nodded, understanding her best friend more than the other realised.

'What did you see?' asked Judy gently.

'I just keep hearing…' she drew a deep breath, to still her emotions. 'I keep hearing George…calling for help, as if…as if he's being attacked or…dying…' Judy sat down beside Willow as she started crying.

'That's awful,' said Judy truthfully, thinking of how the memory of her mother's death affected her every time a Dementor was near her.

'I just…I don't understand,' said Willow in between sobs. 'My father always told me Dementors took your happy memories away and leave you with the worst ones. But George dying isn't…isn't…' her voice faltered.

'I'm not sure it always works that way,' said Judy, taking a light blue handkerchief from her pocket and handing it to her best friend. 'May be if we haven't experienced awful things in our life a Dementor doesn't leave us with our worst memories, but what we fear the most of happening in the future…' Judy smiled as Willow stopped sobbing and wiped away her tears. 'You're in love with him, aren't you?' Willow met her gaze with an arched eyebrow.

'Dugh!'

'Does he know?' asked Judy amused.

'Of course he doesn't,' said Willow quickly, as she sat up straight. 'We've been going steady for a couple of hours…'

'You mean you two *admitted* that you've been going steady for a couple of hours…'

'Details, details…' said Willow dismissively, making Judy laugh.

'Everything OK in here?' Shania asked carefully, popping her head through the door opening.

'We're absolutely perfect,' assured Willow her as she sat up straight. Judy couldn't stifle a laugh as she saw Willow's tangled hair and ruined make-up.

'Oh yes, I can see you look absolutely perfect…' said Shania sarcastically, leaning against the wooden doorpost.

'Oh,' Willow grabbed a mirror from her nightstand to check her appearance. 'Merlin's bloody beard, George will think I'm a hag!' She tried to rub away the mascara from her skin. 'What time is it?' she asked without looking away from her reflection.

'Lunchtime,' said Shania without thinking. 'I came up to ask if you two were joining us…'

'I can't,' said Willow quickly. 'George asked me to…oh, how am I ever going to fix this in less than five minutes?' she asked, looking desperate.

Judy smiled at her, wand already in hand. 'And you say I think like a Muggle…'

'Oh no you don't,' Shania quickly walked toward them. 'You stand watch this time,' she said pulling Judy up from the bed. 'I want to have some fun now.'

'Fun?' asked Willow, arching a brow at her.

'Come on, Will. Trust me,' said Shania, smiling.

'Fine, but no braids and bows,' said Willow warningly. 'And don't even think about dreads…' she added accusingly.

'That was three years ago!' said Shania, rolling her eyes.

Judy laughed at the sight of them; Shania doing her best to cast her spells at Willow and the latter evading them and looking at her friend suspiciously. She tried to hold on to the carelessness of the situation, to just enjoy spending time with her mates and be a regular teenager. But the memory of her conversations with Tonks and Dumbledore soon took hold of her thoughts again.

The way they talked to her, the way they referred to her actions, the way they believed in Sirius' guilt…

Judy shivered as a cold trickle travelled down her spine. She didn't want to believe she could have been so wrong about her father…but she wasn't able to ignore the growing doubt in her heart.

'Oy, are you coming or what?' Judy blinked, awakening from her reverie. Willow and Shania had apparently passed her and were already halfway down the winding stone staircase.

'Yes, I'll be right there,' she said, watching them disappear from view. She walked over to her bed and sat down at the foot of it. A small bundle of black hair rolled from under the bed, caught in the small draft that always blew through the stone walled dorm.

'_They are dead, Remus.'_

'Stop it!' she hissed, as her vision went hazy.

'_But the Fidelius Charm…' Lupin paused for a moment. 'Sirius was their Secret Keeper…'_

'_I'm sorry, Remus,' said Dumbledore honestly. '__We all trusted Sirius.' Lupin let himself fall into the chair behind him. _

'Stop it!' Judy grabbed hold of the wooden pillar, her knuckles turning white as she tried to fight off the vision.

'_But Sirius would never...are you sure, Albus?' He looked at Dumbledore, the hope in his heart crushed by the look in the other man's eyes. _

'_There is no other way…'__ Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. _

Judy shook fervently as the vision faded. Her hands where pearly white, while sweat droplets trailed down her back. She quickly took the handkerchief Willow left behind and dabbed the sweat off her forehead; she couldn't handle another line of questioning.

Judy took a deep breath as her eyes wandered to the open trunk. Lupin's Fizzing Whisbees still lay atop of her books. She got to her feet without giving them a second glance and walked to the door, taking hold of the wooden doorpost to steady herself as another shiver went through her.

It weren't the events of the day that made her feel as cold as when the Dementors walked onto the pitch that morning. She could handle Tonks being cross with her. She could even handle Dumbledore disapproving her decisions and actions.

But facing the man that had vowed to take care of her since she was four. The man who had provided for her no matter how hard times had been on them. The man that had always been there for her despite his own hardships…

Judy knew all too well that facing Lupin and admitting she'd betrayed his trust…would be one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do in her entire life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Lupin's decision**

Monday morning the students who had sat quietly in the common room that Saturday, were now chatting and laughing as if months had passed since the Dementor attack. Nobody visiting the castle, unaware of the events of that weekend, could guess how the atmosphere had turned around overnight.

Judy yawned as she entered the Great Hall that morning. Her tired blue eyes were framed by dark circles and her hair, only half combed, was tied back in a pony tail because she'd been too exhausted to spend the proper attention to her look. She hadn't had any sleep over the weekend, which was only partly due to the knot in her stomach of facing Lupin in their DADA class on Tuesday. The other reason was because she had started to work on her large pile of homework, whenever she was able to concentrate. She worked fervently on finishing her essays for Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology and of course Potions in which she'd done more poorly in the past month than in all other courses.

However, despite having done her utmost to focus her attention on school work, Judy had only been able to do half of her essays properly, because her mind insisted on wandering to Sirius every ten minutes. She could only hope to get a sufficient grade for the others she'd done; she didn't have a lot of margin for her grades to drop any further…not with her goal of becoming an Auror.

'Dear Merlin, what did you come down with? You look like you could drop dead any minute...' Aidan looked at her amused as Judy reached her friends.

'Honestly,' Shania rolled her eyes. 'You do know that you have less social skills than a Troll?'

'Well, you,-'

'How about we try to go through one morning without you two bickering like a married couple?' offered Abigail annoyed. Aidan and Shania looked at her, both seeming slightly embarrassed.

'Did you get any sleep last night?' asked Willow quietly as Judy sat down next to her.

'Not much,' said Judy truthfully. 'Is there any coffee left...?' she said, looking at the empty bowls, plates and pitchers with a hint of regret.

'I'm afraid not,' said Willow apologetically. 'But I saved you this.' Willow handed her a sandwich. 'And you're going to have to eat it on the way to the dungeons, because we're running late,' said Willow as she got to her feet. 'Now come on, Chelsea and Connor already went ahead.' She took Judy by the arm and pulled her up from her seat.

'Goodbye to you too!' Aidan called after them, making Willow wave at him absently as they walked out of the Great Hall.

'Did you finish the essay?' asked Willow as they walked towards the small staircase leading to the dungeons.

'Yes, I finished it. You?' Judy asked, glancing sideways while they headed for the classroom.

'Me too. I hope I didn't screw it up…if my mother gets another letter before the end of term she won't let me come along to Austria,' explained Willow, her voice more tense than Judy had expected.

'You're going to Austria for Christmas?' asked Judy interested.

'Yes, a skiing holiday. My Mum wanted to try something new,' she said, rolling her eyes. 'Skiing is when,-'

'I know what skiing is,' said Judy with a smile.

'Oh right, I forgot you're a Muggle expert,' said Willow with a smile. 'I spent all afternoon yesterday explaining it to George and I'm still not sure he understands it.'

Judy laughed at Willow's tired expression, but her laughter soon faded as she met Snape's gaze while entering the dark and damp Potions classroom.

'How kind of you two to join us,' said Snape silkily as his eyes went from Judy to Willow. 'I will be deducting ten points from Ravenclaw for each of you, because of your tardiness.'

'But,-' Willow broke off as Judy grabbed her hand.

'Remember your holiday,' she said under her breath.

'Yes, Ms. Waters?' asked Snape dangerously.

'Nothing sir,' said Willow with the most even expression she could manage. Judy quickly pulled her along to their seats. Snape's gaze followed them, his eyes as always filled with loathing for the pair of them. Judy evaded his gaze as she took out her books and cauldron.

'Now, as I was saying before the interruption,' said Snape to the class at large. 'You will pass your essays to the front of the class. There will be no need to talk,' he added, his eyes resting on Willow.

Judy quickly searched the stack of parchment in her bag, drew out the right one and handed it to Connor, who sat in front of her. Snape walked past the student pairs who sat at the front and took the essays from them without a word. He walked over to his desk, laid down the stack of parchment and turned on his heel to face the class.

'As all of you spent this past week doing research for your, no doubt abysmal, essays,' said Snape, looking over the students and lingering a hint longer on Judy, who quickly turned away her eyes. 'I am sure none of you need instructions to produce me a phial of Everlasting Elixir.'

None of the students spoke as Snape looked at them maliciously. Even the Slytherin students, who usually felt quite at ease in Potions class, looked around nervously.

Chelsea seemed to be the first to recover as she hesitantly put her hand in the air. Snape looked at her with narrowed eyes before speaking. 'Yes, Ms. Keenan?'

'Do you mean we have to find out which ingredients to use ourselves, sir?' Snape nodded impatiently.

'What about the brewing time?' Judy quickly looked sideways as Willow spoke out of turn.

'Another ten points taken from Ravenclaw for your disrespect for the rules, Ms. Waters,' said Snape coldly.

'But there are different theories about how long the potion should brew, sir,' said Judy quickly, cutting across Willow who'd already opened her mouth to respond.

'And as I was saying, Ms Byrne, I am sure you all have done enough research to figure out which theory to follow,' said Snape silkily.

'But you said you thought our essays were abysmal,' retorted Judy, again just in time to keep Willow from speaking.

Snape smiled at her maliciously, clearly enjoying what he was about to say. 'That remark will cost Ravenclaw twenty points and I expect an essay about the theories concerning the brewing time of Everlasting Elixirs on my desk on Monday. Two rolls of parchment should suffice, I think.'

'Yes, sir.' Judy took Willow's hand as the other opened her mouth to protest.

Snape cast her a satisfied look. 'Now, I suggest all of you stop wasting time and start working on your potion. I will collect a phial from each of you at the end of the lesson. If you do not manage to produce anything decent, do not expect a pass grade for your essay.'

The Slytherin students quickly rushed toward the ingredients cabinet, while the two Hufflepuff students were deliberating what to do first. The single Gryffindor student quickly started searching his books for what do next. Connor and Chelsea turned in their seats to face Willow and Judy.

'He's being completely unfair,' whispered Connor, voicing everybody's thoughts.

'Well, as long as we try, he can't fail us all,' offered Judy.

'I'm not so sure,' said Chelsea weakly. Connor looked at her sympathetically.

'We'd better get started and use the time we have left effectively,' he offered, casting Chelsea a small smile which she returned. Judy turned to Willow as the other two started on their potion.

'We'd better get started too,' she offered, getting to her feet to walk over to the ingredients cabinet. 'I'll go get the ingredients I remember from the essay, you start searching the books in case there's anything I missed, OK?' Willow only nodded.

'Good,' she wanted to walk away from their desk but stopped as Willow put her hand on her arm. Judy looked at her, confused.

'Thanks,' said Willow in a whisper.

'Don't worry about it,' said Judy with a smile. 'Just promise me you'll try to bear him next time. I have enough homework without his extra assignments...'

'Yes, sorry about that. I'll try,' promised Willow. Judy cast her a smile and walked over to the ingredients cabinet as the Slytherin students hurried back to their table. She looked over the cabinet, taking sachets of powder and other components she remembered from her essay.

She turned on her heel, her arms laden with ingredients as she met Snape's eyes. He held a piece of parchment in his hands and looked at her with a mean, satisfied smile on his face. She tried to ignore her suddenly dry throat as she walked back to her desk.

She'd done all she could to make her essay as best as possible...Snape could have been grading any student's assignment, she thought firmly as she sat down next to Willow again and started on the potion Snape had set them.

&

Judy walked from the greenhouses to the castle the next day with even darker circles under her eyes than the day before. She'd done her best on her appearance that morning, strategically applying her foundation and fixing her hair properly by putting it up with several pins. But even make-up couldn't hide the effects the past week had had on her. She was near the point of exhaustion and she knew the conversation she'd be having with Lupin would cost even more of her energy.

'George told me Lupin was ill last Friday,' said Willow as she and Judy followed the others up the marble staircase. 'He said Snape took over his classes and acted very unreasonable.'

'You're surprised that Snape acted unreasonable?!' called Shania back over her shoulder.

'I didn't say…' Willow stopped talking as Shania laughed. 'Oh shut up,' said Willow amused. 'Do you think Snape will still be teaching?' asked Willow, glancing at Judy.

'What?' asked Judy absently, having missed nearly everything the others said.

'May be you should lie down for a while,' said Willow gently. 'I'll tell Lupin you're not feeling well, he'll understand.'

'No, I'm fine,' said Judy, her eyes fixed on the ground as she did her utmost to fight her fatigue and pick up her feet.

'OK,' said Willow, grabbing Judy's shoulder and making her stop in her tracks. 'I don't care how many times you say you're fine, you know you're bloody lying as well as I do. Homework is killing you and you really should rest.' She said firmly. Judy looked at her friend for a moment and sighed.

'OK, I'm not doing fine. I'm tired…no, I'm exhausted,' admitted Judy. 'But DADA is about the only course I'm not failing in and I have to go to class if I want to keep it that way,' she explained as she kept her eyes on Willow. 'All right?'

Willow waited a while before responding. 'Yes, all right,' she said, admitting defeat. 'But if you fall asleep in class, I'm not waking you…' she cast Judy an arched brow.

'Deal,' said Judy with a smile as they followed their fellow sixth year Ravenclaws up the marble stairs.

Judy slowed her pace as she reached the fifth floor corridor. She watched after her class mates as they entered the class room. Her stomach hurt and her head ached as the tension which had been raging through her body all morning now reached its peak. Her throat constricted with emotion as she realised what she was about to do…facing Lupin, telling him the truth, admitting how she'd lied to him, admitting how she'd betrayed his trust. She couldn't remember ever feeling so nervous about anything; then again this was probably one of the hardest things she had ever done.

Judy closed her eyes for a moment as the memory of the promise she'd made to Lupin came back to her mind.

'_..you haven't seen him in such a long time and he might…he might ask you to help _

_him.'_

'_Remus,' Judy sighed as she leaned back against her pillow. 'I'm not stupid…I may believe he is innocent, but I won't be stupid enough to help him. I know he's a convicted felon.'_

'_Just promise me that if anything happens or he tries to contact you, you let me know straight __away.' _

She had promised, no matter how hard she tried to believe that she'd done the right thing; she knew she had broken her promise to her uncle.

'Are you OK?' Chelsea's voice withdrew her from her thoughts. The blond Ravenclaw looked at Judy from the classroom door.

'I'm...' Judy relaxed her fingers which had apparently been clenched into a fist without her realising it. 'I'm fine.' She nodded absently as she walked toward her classmate.

'Are you sure?' asked Chelsea softly as Judy passed her.

'Yes...it's just...I don't know how I did on that essay we had to hand in last week,' the lie came too easily once again.

'The one about Unforgivable Curses?' asked Chelsea sounding a bit surprised as they entered the classroom. 'But you took so many notes…'

Judy blocked out every word that followed. Her eyes were fixed on Lupin, who had his back turned to her. Even from behind Judy could tell the full moon hadn't treated him well. His faded grey vest hung more loosely around him than ever.

'If you would all take out your books please,' said Lupin in a weary voice as Judy and

Chelsea took their seats. Willow already sat with her book opened in front of her as Judy pushed aside Lupin's Fizzing Whisbees to take her books from her red shoulder bag.

'He still looks ill...' Shania whispered as she leaned back toward Willow.

Judy watched the exchange for a moment before looking up and meeting the eyes she'd been avoiding for weeks now. Lupin indeed looked ill. His usually pale skin was now almost as white as milk while dark circles featured more prominently than ever around his eyes.

'I'm afraid today's lesson will be a theoretical one,' said Lupin apologetically as he looked at them with the essays in his hand.

'Good,' Aidan spoke to Connor. 'Because he doesn't look like he'll even survive a Jelly Legs jinx.' Judy met Lupin's eyes for a moment, a pang of guilt nearly making her cringe as he smiled at her gently.

'We will spend most of the lesson discussing your essays, as there were some, let us say, misconceptions about the definition and effects of Unforgivable Curses…' Lupin cast a short glance at Aidan before walking around the room and handing back the pieces of parchment.

'I got an E(!)' said Shania excitedly, showing her parchment to Abigail who looked rather disappointed. There was a bright red A written on the top of her essay.

Chelsea, who sat alone at the desk next to Judy and Willow, clasped her hand in front of her mouth. The O drawn at the top of her parchment didn't need any further explanation.

Judy took her parchment from Lupin without meeting his eyes. She couldn't do anything but stare at the red P marking her essay. Willow waited for Lupin to walk on to Aidan and Connor before grabbing the essay from Judy's hands.

'How did you...' She fell silent as she scanned the parchment. 'For Merlin's sake Jude, you got this all wrong,' she whispered urgently. 'The Cruciatus Curse doesn't kill a person…and this...this entire paragraph is about jinxes(!).'

'I guess I mixed them up by accident,' offered Judy apologetically, taking the essay back from Willow's hands. She didn't need her best friend to rub in how she'd managed to screw up this badly in one of her best subjects.

'Now...' said Lupin as he'd handed all of them their essays back. 'Some of you have done rather well, others more poorly than I expected.' Judy didn't need to turn around to know his eyes were resting on her. 'As I was saying,' he said, walking to the front of the class, 'there were some misconceptions among you about Unforgivable Curses, which I think demand further attention so you won't report them on your NEWTs...' Judy pretended to be submerged in her essay as Lupin looked around the room.

'You'd be better off with a Disillusionment Charm,' whispered Willow with a smile.

'Let's see now…Mr. Kieran. How about we start with your interesting theory about how the Killing Curse doesn't really kill people but turns them into Inferi?' Shania and Willow simultaneously burst out laughing.

&

'I expect those of you who scored lower than an A to hand in your revised essays on

Thursday,' said Lupin as all of them started packing their bags. 'I trust you to use today's discussion to your advantage.'

'What about us, sir?' asked Shania, quickly raising her hand after she'd already spoken.

'You can help out your classmates if you wish,' he said with a small smile. Shania's mouth split into a grin.

'But that's not fair,' protested Aidan quickly.

'Like you'd be complaining if you were on our end,' retorted Willow. Aidan cast her a quick smirk.

'Professor,-'

'I believe people who do their utmost deserve to be rewarded every now and then, don't you agree?' asked Lupin gently.

'But they've already got good grades,' offered Aidan defensively.

'As you would have too if you had paid attention instead of sleeping all through my lessons about Unforgivable Curses,' said Lupin truthfully.

Aidan didn't respond as he quickly crammed his book into his bag. Judy followed his example, but lingered on it much longer as the others already got to their feet.

'Are you coming?' asked Willow impatiently.

'I'll be right along, I just,' Judy cast a glance at Lupin's back. 'I've got a few more questions about my essay...'

'Oh OK. Well, we'll see you later then,' said Willow understandingly. She walked after the others who'd already left the classroom, closing the door behind her.

'I don't remember you sleeping through my classes,' said Lupin as he turned on his heel to face her. 'In fact, if I recall correctly you took more notes than the other students.' Judy looked back at him, the issue of her essay seeming pivotal to what she would have to tell him in a few moments.

'I expected Aidan to score less than the others,' said Lupin truthfully. 'The boy is intelligent, but his motivation is very poor...' Judy couldn't help but think how much Aidan and her father were alike...though Sirius had gotten into much more trouble than her friend had.

'But I expected you to do as good as Chelsea and Connor on this one, most certainly because you have an advantage to the others when it comes to this subject...' Judy met Lupin's eyes. 'I mean...I didn't mean to put it like that...you know what I mean.' He hesitated as Judy didn't respond. 'I mean your knowledge of dark magic...I didn't mean your mother's death was,-'

Judy closed her eyes for a moment. His kindness was killing her. The fact that she'd betrayed his trust caused her more sadness than she had felt in many years. The fact that he didn't even have a clue of what she'd done ripped her heart apart.

'Jude?'

She let out a long deep sigh before speaking the words she'd been dreading to say.

'I've seen him, Remus.' She opened her eyes to look at him and continued as she saw the confusion in his eyes. 'I've seen Sirius.' A shadow descended on Lupin's face, taking away any sparkle left in his eyes.

Judy didn't do anything but look at her uncle in the silence that followed. Though their eyes remained locked during the entire time she knew Lupin wasn't looking at her, he was looking right through her. Slowly he was realising the implications of her words...

'When?' he asked, his voice strained.

'Halloween,' said Judy slowly.

'Halloween?!' Lupin's eyes widened.

'I didn't let him in,' she added quickly. 'I only...only saw him...'

'You only saw him,' Lupin looked at her in disbelief. 'You only saw him?!' He said more loudly. 'Why didn't you tell this before?'

'Because I didn't think it necessary,-'

'Necessary?!' said Lupin, looking at her as if she were a stranger to him.

'Well, I couldn't turn him in, could I?' retorted Judy defensively.

'You couldn't turn in a convicted murderer?' asked Lupin, confused.

'I couldn't turn in my own father,' retorted Judy, biting back the tears caused by Lupin's view of his former best friend.

'He betrayed Lily and James,' said Lupin, unable to withhold his anger. 'He killed Peter Pettigrew...he killed thirteen Muggles!'

'Did he?' asked Judy weakly, regretting her words as soon as she saw Lupin's widened eyes. 'I'm sorry, I didn't,-'

'I think I've heard quite enough,' Lupin cut across her. 'I need to report this to Professor Dumbledore.'

'He already knows,' said Judy, unable to meet Lupin's eyes anymore. 'I told him a few days ago. He said I had to tell you as soon as you were feeling better and that he would discuss the consequences of my actions with you.'

'Good, because I can think of several punishments that you deserve for what you did.' Judy didn't look up, but she could feel his eyes on her. 'I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you. After everything we've...you've been through...I raised you better than this. You should have told me the truth.'

'Yes, Remus,' said Judy softly, watching her tears fall on the dark wooden floor boards.

'I taught you better than to lie to me,' Lupin continued. 'I taught you better than to break your promises.'

'Yes, Remus,' said Judy again, brushing away her tears with her sleeve. Her mascara and foundation smudged her white sleeve.

'And your grades...all this time I thought you were too troubled to concentrate on school, while you were...you were...' he drew a deep breath to still his emotions. Judy looked up and saw how he looked even paler than before; his anger had clearly taken what little energy he had left.

'I'm sorry,' said Judy hoarsely, she knew she couldn't stand much more of it before she'd break entirely. 'Please try to understand, Remus.' He looked at her for a moment and then, without a word, turned his back to her.

'This conversation is over for now,' he said calmly. 'We will talk further when I've spoken to Professor Dumbledore.'

'Remus...' Judy said weakly in an effort to make him turn around again. 'Uncle Remus, please...'

'That will be all, Judy,' said Lupin coldly. 'Don't forget that your essay is due for Thursday.'

'Yes, Professor.' Judy turned on her heel and took a few paces toward the door before stopping in her tracks. She rummaged through her shoulder bag, took out the Fizzing Whisbees, walked back up to Lupin and put them on his desk. 'I ehm…I forgot to give you these…' She waited for a moment but as Lupin didn't say or do anything she turned around and hurried out of the classroom.

The fifth floor corridor was deserted, much to her relief. Judy leaned back against the dark wooden door as Lupin's words resounded over and over again in her head.

She couldn't pretend anymore that what she had done was the right thing. She couldn't pretend anymore that she hadn't really lied to her uncle, only not tell him the entire truth...Deep down she knew all too well that no matter what she had tried to make herself believe, she had betrayed him.

'My, my...you look a mess, dear.' Judy looked up, startled by the unfamiliar voice. A portrait of a distinguished looking witch cast her a gentle smile. 'That make-up of yours needs redoing before you can show yourself anywhere...'

Judy looked at her and nodded absently. She stalked off to the nearest girls' bathroom as another fresh wave of tears ruined her make-up even more.

&

In the weeks that followed her conversation with Lupin, Judy didn't pick up on anything in class. She felt like she was constantly on the edge of exhaustion. She spent all her spare time on homework now; whether it was reading a school book in the common room or doing research, buried by a stack of books in the library. But no matter how hard she tried to understand the words she read, her concentration was failing her terribly and consequently her grades took a dive. She now had an insufficient number in both Charms and Transfiguration, with Potions balancing on the edge. To top it all Snape was greedily using her lack of concentration to his advantage, setting her extra homework whenever he caught her daydreaming in class or worse…sleeping.

But school was only one of her worries and oddly enough not the most important one as it usually had been. Her relentless thoughts about the consequences of her actions and not to forget about her father's well being were causing her to have more dreams and visions than ever. Despite knowing deep down that fighting them off would cost more energy than letting them happen, Judy couldn't stop resisting her so called gift from emerging to the surface. And knowing that she had no intention to change that anytime soon, she also knew that it wouldn't be long before her body and mind would cave under the constant strain she was putting it under.

Judy spent most of her days alone, avoiding Willow's worried glances and the twins' relentless lines of questioning on how she was doing. She even missed out on the Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match and consequently Ravenclaw's victory, spending the morning reading up on Transfiguration in her dorm instead. Despite wanting to talk to them more than ever, she just couldn't face her friends. She was too afraid to break under their kindness and tell them every secret which now, more than ever, had to remain hidden.

With only two weeks to go till the end of term, Judy spent her Saturday afternoon in the library, trying to catch up on homework as much as she could, so she wouldn't have to spend her entire holiday on writing essays and reading study books. She shared the long wooden table with several other students who apparently shared her thoughts. All of them were surrounded by stacks of books, scrolls of parchments, ink bottles and quills.

Judy threw a thin layer of sand on her Herbology essay and reread the roll of parchment one more time; with her concentration failing her all the time she had to read every piece of homework at least three times and then still small stupid mistakes managed to slip through.

'Well, well, fancy meeting you here...' Judy's lips curled into a small smile as she looked over her shoulder and met Fred Weasley's eyes. He walked toward her with a pile of books in his hands and put them down with such force that Madam Pince looked at him sternly.

'Sorry,' offered Fred apologetically. He sat down beside Judy and shoved his chair so close to her that their shoulders touched. Judy looked sideways and arched a brow at him. 'Oh come on, Byrne. Don't pretend you're not interested.'

Judy laughed, but quickly stopped as Madam Pince looked at her over the rim of her reading glasses. 'What are you doing here, Fred?' asked Judy quietly.

'Placing Dungbombs all around the library and setting them to go off at the same time...' Judy looked at him, worried. 'Oh relax, Jude. I'm here to study. I've got to do some homework if I want to attain a few of my OWLs,' he offered, his mouth splitting in a grin. 'Though setting off those Dungbombs would have been hilarious, you have to admit.'

'Not as hilarious as what Filch would have you do afterwards,' offered Judy as she rolled up her Herbology essay and put it in her bag. Her smile faded as her own comment reminded her of the punishment Lupin and Dumbledore had in store for her.

Fred looked at her for a moment, his eyes stained with concern. Judy quickly evaded his questioning gaze and picked up one of the open books in front of her.

'Why won't you tell us what's wrong?' asked Fred seriously.

'What do you mean?' asked Judy, faking surprise. 'Nothing's,-'

'Don't lie to me, Jude.' Fred cut across her. Judy met his eyes for a moment, doing her utmost to ignore the guilt gnawing at her heart as she realised how many times she had lied to him in the past and how many times she'd still have to lie to him in the future.

'It's like I told George. This is something I have to solve by myself.'

'But you can't do this on your own,' protested Fred. 'I mean, look at you...you look awful!'

'Ssshhh!' They both looked up to see Madam Pince's eyes shooting daggers in their direction.

'I'm just a bit tired, because I've got so much homework,' offered Judy in a whisper. She quickly put her fingers on his mouth as he tried to object. 'Listen, you've been my best mate for years, I'd tell you if I could, but I can't.'

'But,-'

'Please, Fred. I've got enough going on as it is, I don't want to argue. Just trust me on this one, all right?' He held her gaze for a moment and then shrugged in defeat.

'Yes, all right,' he said bitterly. 'But you'll have to promise to stop avoiding us. George and I just want to know if you're all right and Willow is worried sick about you.'

'OK, I promise,' said Judy truthfully, ignoring the thought that with everything she had to handle on her own already, facing her friends and resisting to cave under their kindness could be too much for her to handle.

'Good,' said Fred, opening one of his books and scanning the index. 'Because we're your mates and we're here for the good times AND the bad. And I will remind you of that for the rest of your life if I have to, Byrne.'

Judy looked at him for a moment as he searched the pages of his book. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Fred glanced sideways as she pulled back, and cast her a mischievous grin. 'Like I said, I'm irresistible,' he said with a satisfied look on his face.

Judy smiled, shaking her head as she turned her attention to the books in front of her. She knew she'd have to go through her troubles on her own, but she also now knew she had friends to fall back on if everything indeed proved to be too much for her mind and body to handle. Even if she couldn't tell them the truth of what was going on, her friends would still be there to support her.

&

As the last weekend of term drew near, the Hogwarts' grounds turned from a muddy, leave covered landscape into an idyllic Christmas scene. A layer of thick, crisp snow covered the entire grounds as Hagrid, the Gamekeeper, swept clean the path leading from the castle to the boar winged wrought iron gates.

The many hallways and classrooms in the castle were decorated with hundreds of floating silver snowflakes and golden stars, while holy bushes, red ribbons and mistletoe hung from the walls and ceilings. Professor Flitwick had even decorated the Charms classroom with real flying fairies.

With most of the students returning home for the holidays, there was another trip to Hogsmeade planned the day before the Hogwarts Express would be heading back to London. All around the castle third year students and up talked excitedly about the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping in the small magical village.

Judy lay in her bed that Saturday morning. She covered her ears in an effort to block out the sound of her chatting roommates as she lay still under her white sheet and blue blanket.

'Has anybody seen my blue pumps?' asked Willow nervously. 'My Mom is going to kill me if I lost them…'

'I think…' Shania's hesitant voice was followed by a fervent rummaging in her trunk. 'Yes, they're here. Sorry.'

'That's OK,' offered Willow lightly. 'I think I packed something of yours too.'

'Do you know I've been looking for that sweater for a month?!' said Shania indignantly, though amused.

'May be if you two would stop swapping clothes all the time, you wouldn't lose half of your belongings,' offered Abigail. Judy didn't need to see her face to know she was rolling her eyes.

'Has anybody seen my Astronomy book?' asked Chelsea, close to panicking.

'Why don't you check Judy's stack?' offered Willow amused. 'There's bound to be one in there.'

'Nobody's touching my books,' said Judy, deciding that trying to get any more sleep was useless, and casting back her covers.

'Well, well, look who's awake!' offered Shania amused. 'Which subject did you share your bed with this time?' Judy smiled as Chelsea's cheeks turned scarlet.

'Potions,' offered Judy amused as she sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

'Ugh,' said Willow looking over at her. 'You share your bed with the homework Snape sets you?'

'Dear Merlin, do you think you could stop talking nonsense and finish packing?' asked Abigail annoyed. 'We're going to be late for breakfast…' She said, walking out of the room without looking back.

'Great, what's wrong with her this time?' asked Willow, sighing as she looked after Abigail.

'What do you think,' offered Shania, sitting down on the rim of her bed. 'She's going home for the first time this year…and there's only one thing her parents will care about.'

'Her brother Kenneth being sorted into Slytherin,' finished Judy. She pushed back her tangled hair as she sat up straight. She could remember all too well the stories she'd heard from her father as a child; all the answers he'd given to her questions why her grandparents ignored their existence. She'd never forget how her father had eventually run away from home, because his parents' couldn't accept that he didn't support their small minded beliefs and didn't indulge in their pure blood mania.

She squeezed the sheets hard as a sudden anger raged through her. 'Those stupid small minded Pure Bloods!' She clasped her hand to her mouth as she noticed the widened eyes looking back at her; all of her roommates came from pure blood families. 'I'm sorry, I didn't,-'

'Yes, you did,' Willow cut across her. Judy looked from Willow to her other two friends, at a loss for words.

'And you're right,' offered Shania, casting her hands in the air. 'Abigail's parents are stupid small minded Pure Bloods…they're almost as bad as those Malfoys.'

'But Abigail isn't,' said Chelsea quickly. 'The Sorting Hat would never have put her in Ravenclaw if she was as bad as her parents.'

'You're right,' said Willow gently. 'And if her stupid parents won't support her, we will.' She kneeled to lock her trunk and got back up again. She turned on her heel and stopped dead, noticing how Judy, Chelsea and Shania were staring at her in disbelief. 'What? Are you surprised that I don't have a hairy heart?'

'Oy, are you girls done plastering your faces? We're hungry!' called Aidan from below.

'That bloke has just got the perfect timing, doesn't he?' said Shania amused. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the doorway. Chelsea quickly followed her.

'What about you?' asked Willow, looking at Judy as she leaned against a pillar of her bed.

'I think I'm going to spend my day with these,' she said, gesturing at the pile of books beside her bed. 'And may be try to take a nap this afternoon. I didn't get much sleep last night.'

Willow sighed and shook her head. 'Listen, just promise me you'll get some food in you before midday, OK? Those dark circles and that pale complexion of yours won't go away unless you start eating properly again…and don't even get me started on how skinny you look…'

'Yes, mother,' said Judy with a small smile.

'I'm serious, Jude,' Willow said, planting her hands on her hips as she looked down on her.

'I promise,' Judy sighed. 'I'll go down to the kitchens and get a couple of sandwiches as soon as I'm done with this, OK?' She held up her Potions book.

Willow cast her hands in the air. 'You're hopeless, you know that?'

'Yes, I know,' Judy leaned back against her headboard as she opened her book.

'I'll see you later,' said Willow, picking up her handbag.

'Will?' Judy looked up at her friend as she spun on her heel. 'Thanks.'

'You're welcome,' she said with a small smile. 'Just…just don't stay cooped up in here all day, OK?'

'OK,' Judy nodded. Willow gave her a small wave before turning back to the doorway and heading down the small stone circular stairs.

Judy waited for her best friend to be out of earshot before leaning back against the headboard and letting out a long sigh. She knew it was useless to try and catch up on homework today; her eyes were nearly falling shut due to her chronic lack of sleep. Her efforts to block out her dreams every night were starting to take a toll she knew she couldn't pay for long. Even now her hands were lying flat on the bed, she could still feel them tremble. She knew something had to change soon, because she had no intention of caving under the strain she was under and spending her holidays in the hospital wing. And yet, despite the knowledge that something had to change, the fear she felt for her gift kept her from doing anything but fight against it as hard as she could.

Judy cast back her blanket, flung her legs out of bed and grabbed Willow's mirror from her friend's nightstand. She checked her appearance, flinching as she did so. The circles around her eyes were even darker than she'd anticipated and her sunken cheeks and pale complexion made her look as bad as Lupin after one of his transformations.

She stared at herself as she thought on her uncle. She hadn't heard anything from him, apart from his classes, and she didn't like it one bit. She knew her dreams were caused mostly by her constant worrying about her father, but the tension of waiting for Lupin and Dumbledore's decision had definitely increased the attempts of her visions and dreams to take over her mind.

Judy put the mirror back down, gathered her toiletries and headed for the bathroom; if she were to show herself to anybody today she knew she had to take extra care to turn her ill appearance into something decent.

She returned to her dorm half an hour later, with a large white towel wrapped around her and her wet combed hair flowing down her back. Duncan lay on her bed, apparently asleep. Judy tried not to wake him as she searched her favourite pair of dark blue jeans and a purple V neck sweater, upturning most of the contents of her trunk. She laid the clothes out on Willow's bed and borrowed her friend's mirror again to strategically apply her foundation, eye shadow and mascara, finishing it off with a purple lipstick which matched her sweater perfectly. By the time she was done, she doubted anybody could tell how tired she actually felt inside.

'Oy Byrne! Are you up there?' Judy froze as she recognized the all too familiar voice. She waited in silence to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. 'I don't care if those stairs will turn into a slide, I'm coming up there one way or another if you don't come down!' Duncan meowed irritably as he woke up from his nap.

'No! I'm coming down,' said Judy quickly, looking around at all the clothes and underwear she had pulled from her trunk earlier. She rushed toward the door and down the small spiral stone staircase, stopping dead in her tracks as Fred Weasley grinned at her from the blue sofa.

'Well, hello there gorgeous…' he said, looking her up and down.

'What are you…? Judy followed his gaze, realising she was only wearing a towel. 'Oh shoot…' she said, making sure most of her was hidden from his gaze.

'I think there's still a bit of skin there…' said Fred teasingly.

'Oh shut up,' Judy said, half-smiling at the situation they were in. 'What in the name of magic are you doing here anyway? Do you know how much trouble you're in if anybody sees you here?'

'Oh come on, Jude. Where's your sense of adventure?' said Fred disappointed.

Judy rolled her eyes. 'What are you doing here, Fred?'

He smiled at her. 'I'm taking you with me to Hogsmeade.'

'Are you?' Judy arched a brow at him.

'Yes, and you're going to enjoy every minute of it.' He said with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

'There's something you're not telling me,' said Judy, knowing her friend well enough to know when he was hiding something from her.

'You're absolutely right,' offered Fred, his grin growing wider. 'Now go and get dressed so we can do some Christmas shopping.'

'But I don't need,-'

'I'm afraid 'no' does not appear in my vocabulary, Jude,' said Fred quickly. 'I'll be waiting for you in the corridor.'

'But Fred, I can't,-'

'You've got ten minutes!' He said without turning as he walked away from her.

'But,-' She let out a frustrated sigh as she heard the door fall shut behind him.

'Gargoyles and Banshees!' Judy said fiercely. She took a deep breath to still her emotions.

Judy stood still in the common room, sorting out her thoughts for a moment. She didn't want to go to the hustle and bustle of Hogsmeade, if anything she wanted to spend a quiet day in the castle, doing as little as possible to allow her body to regain some of its strength. On the other hand…the knowledge that Fred was hiding something from her did arouse her curiosity and she couldn't ignore the eager feeling of finding out what he was hiding…

&

'You're late,' said Fred, doing his best impersonation of McGonagall and making Judy laugh.

'I'm here,' offered Judy as she reached his side in the deserted fifth floor corridor. 'Now, what is this secret you're keeping from me?'

'You'll find out soon enough,' Fred grinned as he locked his arm with hers and pulled her along.

'Why can't you just tell me now?' attempted Judy as Fred led her down the marble staircase.

'Patience is a virtue, Jude,' he said reproachfully.

'Fine,' said Judy, recognizing defeat as another pressing matter came to her mind. 'Are we taking the…short cut again?' she asked carefully.

'Yes, I'm just as eager to avoid those Dementors as you are,' assured Fred her. 'We're going to have to do it without a map though…George and I gave it to Harry, so he can go to Hogsmeade as well. But don't worry, I know all the secret passages by heart anyway.'

'Oh,' said Judy, feeling somewhat uncomfortable knowing that Harry wasn't protected anymore by the spells surrounding the castle. 'Fred,' she said, the thought about Sirius reminding her of a question she'd been meaning to ask him for ages. 'Have you ever seen…anybody else using those passages?'

'Do you mean Black?' Judy nodded. 'George and I've been thinking about that as well. We've been watching the map more often since that break in at Halloween, but we've never seen him using any of the secret passages we know.' Judy felt relieved as they entered the third floor corridor, though her relief soon faded as she looked up and saw Lupin standing a few meters away from them. She couldn't help but think he'd been waiting for her.

'Good morning,' said Lupin as they approached him. 'Are you two off to Hogsmeade?'

'That we are, sir,' said Fred brightly.

'I'd like to have a word with you before you go,' said Lupin, his eyes on Judy. 'If that's all right with you of course, Fred.' He added.

'But Fred and I were just,-'

'I can wait,' said Fred quickly. Judy looked up at him, his broad smile giving her a feeling of unease.

'We won't be long,' said Lupin, beckoning Judy to enter the empty Charms classroom. Judy cast a glance at Fred, who merely smiled at her, and headed to the classroom. It was deserted safe for the fluttering fairies Professor Flitwick had put up as Christmas decorations. She walked on until she was in the middle of the room and stopped as she heard Lupin close the door and cast a Muffliato spell so nobody could listen in on their conversation.

'Please take a seat, Judy.' She did as he said and watched in silence as he walked past her and sat down on the desk in front of her. Judy didn't meet his eyes as he looked at her in silence.

'How have you been?' asked Lupin, clearly sounding worried. Judy met his eyes, surprised at his concern.

'All right...' she paused for a moment; she wasn't going to lie to him again. 'I'm tired…' she said truthfully. 'Exhausted actually…'

'I've noticed that your grades have gone down even more lately…' He looked at her, searching for an explanation.

'I'm trying to keep up, Remus,' said Judy quickly. 'I really am. It's just that with everything that's going on, I just can't concentrate and I keep screwing up my essays…and I'm just not getting any sleep, because of those stupid dreams and visions…'

'Dreams and visions?' asked Lupin interested. 'Well, I have to admit it surprises me how well you're holding up, considering your gift is expressing itself at such a late age. I didn't think it possible for you to learn to control it so fast.'

'I'm not,' said Judy, shaking her head. 'I'm not really controlling it.'

'Then how…' Lupin looked at her confused.

'I'm fighting it,' said Judy, feeling relieved to finally tell the truth about what she was going through.

'Oh, sweetheart,' Lupin rubbed his neck as he looked at her, his eyes stained with concern. 'You shouldn't be fighting this…it will only worsen the effects it has on you.'

'What do you mean?' asked Judy confused.

'The day I found your mother, half conscious in one of the corridors…she'd been trying to fight off her visions too…like I told you before her body and mind were better prepared than yours, because she'd been having dreams nearly all her life. But if you…Jude, people have gone insane, even died trying to fight their gifts and if you keep resisting yours…' Lupin evaded her gaze for a moment. Judy looked down and looked at her trembling hands.

'I want to find a way to accept it and live with it,' said Judy honestly. 'But…I'm scared, Remus. I'm not ready to See.'

'Because you're afraid you may be mistaken about Sirius?' asked Lupin carefully. Judy looked back at him, a tear falling from her eye, as she nodded slowly.

'Jude…' he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 'What you did was…'

'…wrong, I know,' said Judy truthfully. 'And I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but…I couldn't betray him and send him to his death…' She took a handkerchief from her bag and dabbed her tears, threatening to ruin her carefully applied make-up.

'I know…and though I don't approve of what you've done, I do understand…' Judy looked up at him in disbelief.

'You do?'

'Yes, I've talked it over with Professor Dumbledore and we both agree that asking you to turn in your father, knowing what fate awaits him, is too much to ask of you.' Lupin leaned back against the desk as he looked down on her. 'But we also agree that your bond with Sirius makes you…vulnerable. Now that he knows you're here, he may try to contact you and ask you to help him. And not knowing what your choice will be at that time, Professor Dumbledore and I think it safer to prevent such a situation.'

'I…I don't understand.' Judy looked up at him. 'What do you mean?'

'We think it wise for you not to roam the castle on your own…' explained Lupin.

'Well what are you going to do?' asked Judy confused. 'You can't follow me around all the time, people will get suspicious.'

'Oh no,' said Lupin with a small smile. 'We're not worried Sirius will try to contact you during the school year. Not with so many other students around. We are more worried about the holidays, when most students have returned home.'

'I still don't understand,' said Judy in earnest.

'Professor Dumbledore and I think it better if you do not remain at Hogwarts during the holidays,' said Lupin carefully.

'You're…you're sending me away?!' asked Judy taken aback. 'But what about Christmas? We always spend Christmas together!'

'I'm afraid that will not be possible this year,' said Lupin gently.

'But Remus…I…I don't want to go away. I want to stay here with you.' He shook his head. 'Please, don't send me away.' She felt a few more tears falling down her cheeks. 'You're supposed to spend Christmas with your family and you're the closest relative I've got.'

'There's still your aunt Andromeda and uncle Ted,' offered Lupin. 'And Tonks.'

'I know, but…you raised me, Remus. I mean, we're a family, right?' He cast her an affectionate smile.

'I'm sorry, sweetheart,' said Lupin truthfully. Judy dabbed her tears again, her foundation leaving marks on her handkerchief. She sighed as she realised everything was already decided for her.

'Where am I going?' She asked in a whisper. 'Aunt Andromeda's and uncle Ted's?

'Ehm…no actually,' said Lupin, making Judy look up at him, confused. 'They've already got a few of your uncle's relatives coming over. And I'm afraid Dora is much too busy with studying and working to be looking after you at her apartment.'

'Well then…where am I supposed to go?'

Lupin took a deep breath before he spoke. 'The Burrow.'

'What?!' asked Judy in disbelief.

'You're spending the holidays with the Weasleys,' continued Lupin.

'But I…I hardly know them!' exclaimed Judy. 'I can't spend Christmas with them!'

'You know Fred and George,' retorted Lupin. 'And Molly is more than happy to take you in for two weeks. She quite agrees that a deserted castle isn't the right place for you to celebrate Christmas.'

'Well of course she does when you put it like that. Mrs. Weasley is always happy to take care of others. But they barely have enough to make ends meet, you can't expect them to,-'

'I've already taken care of any financial matters,' interjected Lupin.

'It's not just that…,' said Judy irritable. 'I just don't feel comfortable imposing on them like that…if I promise I won't go wandering the castle alone, can't I just stay here with you?'

'That's not the point, Jude,' said Lupin dismissively.

'But you just said you're sending me away because Sirius may try to contact me and ask me to help him...' her voice trailed as she met her uncle's eyes. 'Hang on…you're not doing this for me, are you?'

'Jude,-'

'You're doing this for Harry. You believe I will help Sirius get to Harry!' She said accusingly.

'Professor Dumbledore and I think it best for the _both_ of you,-'

'That's rubbish and you know it!'

'Do not take that tone with me, young lady,' said Lupin sternly. 'We may be concerned for Harry's safety, but that doesn't mean we've not taken your own safety into account.'

'I wonder whose safety made you come to this decision then,' said Judy heatedly. 'I can't believe you think I'd do anything to endanger Harry. He was like a baby brother to me, Remus.'

'I'm not saying you would do anything that could harm him intentionally,' defended Lupin. 'I just…I trusted Sirius once too, Judy. So did James and Lily and they died because of it…' He said sadly.

Judy stared at him in silence for a while, allowing her mind to rule over her emotions again. She knew deep down that Lupin had a point and that he was only looking out to protect Harry and her. She just wished there was another way so she could stay with him at the castle; they hadn't spent a single Christmas apart since he'd taken her in. She dabbed the last of her tears and put the handkerchief back in her pocket.

'Fred knows about this, doesn't he?' asked Judy, her lips curling up in a small smile as she thought of the excitement in her friend's eyes.

'Yes, he and George are both looking forward to it,' said Lupin gently.

'What about Duncan?' asked Judy suddenly, as she thought on her black cat.

'I think Duncan will prefer to spend his holiday in a deserted castle chasing after mice without any competitors,' said Lupin truthfully.

'Yes, I think he will too,' said Judy amused. 'And what about you?' she added softly.

'I've got the staff to keep me company,' offered Lupin. 'And there's Harry and his friends and a few other students. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to spend much time with you anyway. I've got a pile of correction work to catch up on.'

'Yes, I suppose you're right,' said Judy, getting to her feet. She swayed for a moment; the anger she'd felt a few moments before had clearly drawn on what little energy she had. Lupin quickly took her arm as he noticed her faintness. 'I'm fine,' said Judy quickly. 'I must have stood up too fast.'

'No, you're not fine.' Lupin laid his hands on her shoulders as he continued. 'Listen sweetheart, I know you're always looking out for others and making sure everybody's all right. But you need to start looking after yourself now. This entire situation is already a lot for you to handle on your own, do not make things harder on yourself by denying your gift…I'm afraid that if you do, your body and mind will cave and by then it will be too late for any of us to save you.'

Judy nodded absently. 'I'll try,' she said in a whisper.

'If you want, I can ask Professor Trelawney if she can help you take control of your Sight,' offered Lupin gently.

'No, I'd rather try myself first,' said Judy truthfully, remembering from Willow's stories how obsessed Trelawney was with the Inner Eye. She was sure the woman wouldn't hesitate to test just how strong her gift was, before teaching her how to control it.

'All right,' Lupin said warmly. He let her go and drew a piece of paper from his pocket. 'Your train ticket. Don't lose it.' He said, handing it to her.

'I won't,' she assured him as she put it safely in her bag.

'You're going to have a great holiday with Fred and George,' said Lupin confidently.

'I know, but I'll still miss you,' she looked up at him, stood tiptoe and kissed his cheek. 'Have a good Christmas, Remus.'

'You too, sweetheart,' he cast her a small smile.

Judy nodded before turning and heading out of the classroom. As she reached the third floor corridor she saw Fred waiting for her, leaning against the statue of the old hump backed witch. His smile grew wider as she approached him.

'Do you think we'll survive?' she asked lightly as Fred stood upright.

'I think we'll do just fine,' he offered, his brow creasing as he looked at her. 'Have you been crying?'

'I don't remember spending a Christmas without him,' she said, knowing Fred would understand.

'Well…then we'd better make sure you enjoy yourself at our place. What do you think about tricking Percy into eating a couple of Cockroach Clusters?'

'That sounds ehm…interesting,' offered Judy with a smile. She looked back at the closed classroom door as Fred magically opened the hatch which led to the secret passage to Honeydukes.

Judy had expected her conversation with Lupin to be quite the opposite of what she'd just had. She'd expected him to still be angry with her about everything she'd done, not for him to tell her that he and Dumbledore understood why it had been so hard for her to do the right thing; to turn in her father for his crimes. Her heart felt a little lighter, knowing that Lupin understood and that he still cared for her the way he always had.

'Oy, you coming?' whispered Fred, drawing her away from her thoughts.

'Yes, I'm coming,' said Judy, casting another glance around the corridor to make sure nobody was there.

She took Fred's hand as he helped her into the secret passage. With everything that had happened to her in the past months, all the worries that had been troubling her, spending Christmas with her best mates and their family didn't really sound all that bad. In fact, spending two care free weeks at the Burrow could be just the distraction she needed.

**Author's note: **If you've taken the time to read the chapter, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know what you think about it by writing a short review. E.g. which plot lines do you like and which ones didn't you like? Feedback and constructive criticism is much appreciated: at the end of the day knowing your opinions about my story is what inspires me to keep writing!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note: **First of all, thanks to all of you who have read this story and have stuck with it so far. A special thanks to WuHaoNi for sticking with me from the beginning and giving me your honest feedback :). Again I present to you one of my favourite chapters in this story. I hope it will be as enjoyable to read as it was to write. As always, feedback is much appreciated!

**Chapter 12**

**Christmas at the Burrow**

_Thick pearly white snowflakes fell from the cloudy sky__, covering the streets and flowerbeds of Godric's Hollow with a crisp layer of snow. The large Christmas tree in the middle of the town square was decorated with multicoloured lights and ornaments. Children played around the tree, threw snowballs at each other or made snowmen. They were so taken up by their activities that they didn't hear the faint 'pops' nor see a party of four people appearing out of thin air in the shadow of the small church. _

_The two men quickly scanned the environment to see if there were any Muggles who might have spotted them, or worse, Death Eaters. Sirius pushed Briana against the church wall as he looked around. Remus walked a few meters away from them, covering the back. _

'_Sirius,' said Briana, pushing his hand off her chest. 'I have a wand and I know how to use it, you know.'_

'_Yes I know,' said Sirius, turning his eyes to her as soon as he was convinced nobody had seen their Apparition. 'But since your hands are kind of tied up at the moment…' he said, looking at the little girl in her arms. _

'_All right, just don't…don't treat me like,-'_

_Don't worry, love. I'm well aware of your abilities. All of them.' said Sirius with a mischievous smile. Briana quickly hid her reddened cheeks behind her raven black hair as Remus walked up to them. _

'_All clear,' he said as he reached the couple's side. _

'_Good,' said Sirius, flipping his dark hair from his eyes. 'Then we'd better get going. I don't want that turkey to get cold…' Briana rolled her eyes as she hoisted Judy a little higher on her hip before following him. _

'_If you want I can carry her for a while,' offered Remus as they walked across the town square. _

'_Thank you, Remus,' said Briana casting him a small smile, 'but I'd rather hold onto her…' _

'_You never liked this place, did you?' asked Remus gently as they followed Sirius down the snow covered lane. _

'_It's not that I don't like it,' said Briana, holding Judy even closer as an awful sense of foreboding dawned on her. 'There's just something about this place that…that scares me.' She looked around at the small cottages as they proceeded to the Potters' house. 'Dark magic has taken place in this town, Remus,' said Briana in a whisper. 'And…'_

'_And…?' asked Remus carefully. _

'_I don't know…' said Briana, not quite able to hide her fear. 'I…' She took a deep breath. 'Nothing is decided…' she said, seemingly to herself. _

'_Briana…' _

'_What are you two chitchatting about?' asked Sirius as he held and waited for them to reach his side. _

'_Nothing,' said Briana quickly, casting him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. _

'_Nothing?' asked Sirius arching a brow. 'Then why do you look so worried?' _

'_She's just worried because we're running late,' offered Remus gently. _

'_Well, if you two would pick up your pace instead of chatting like a couple of school girls we'd be there already,' he walked over to Briana and took Judy from her arms. _

'_Sirius,-'_

'_You've been carrying her around all day,' said Sirius gently. 'She's safe with me, love.' Briana nodded as she watched Sirius holding their daughter. _

'_Padfoot,' said the little girl happily. _

'_We really should have taught her to say 'Daddy' first,' said Sirius amused. _

_Remus held the small gate as Sirius, carrying Judy, and Briana walked up the path leading to the small cottage. They could already see James and Peter sitting on the couch in front of the window. A Christmas tree had been put up in the back of the room, white ornaments and lights shone __amongst the green branches. _

_Sirius greedily smelled the night's air as Briana rang the doorbell; the smell of spices surrounded the small cottage, promising a delicious dinner._

_Lily opened the door, wearing a short dark blue dress with her red hair flowing down her shoulders, and met her friends' smiles with one of her own. 'Happy Christmas!'_

'_Happy Christmas!' said Sirius with a grin. 'Hope you cooked enough food, this little one is starving.'_

'_Yes, I can see that…' said Lily sarcastically, as she looked at the silent girl in his arms. _

'_Merry Christmas, Lily,' said Remus, stepping up to her as Sirius walked inside. He kissed her cheek. _

'_Thank you for coming, Remus,' said Lily, cupping his sunken cheek. 'I hope a warm meal will make you feel better soon.'_

'_I'm sure it will, Lily,' said Remus, casting her a small smile before walking past her into the hallway. _

'_How's he been?' asked Lily in a whisper as Remus entered the living room. _

'_Not as bad as usual,' said Briana truthfully, walking inside and waiting for Lily to close the front door. 'I think it helps to have a comfortable bed and a decent meal after his transformations.'_

'_It was real nice of you and Sirius to take him in...' said Lily gently. _

'_It's too dangerous for him to live on his own right now.' said Briana truthfully. 'The Ministry is hunting his kind down, because they think all of them are on You Know Who's side...'_

'_And how are you?' asked Lily, looking in her friend's eyes. 'You look tired, Bri.'_

'_It's this war,' said Briana, closing her eyes for a moment as fear threatened to take hold of her heart. 'I haven't had a decent night's sleep in weeks, because of my dreams. And my visions…I have them about all of us…in some we die, in some we live…but most of them are vague and,-'_

'_But that's a good thing, right?' asked Lily quickly. 'You said when they are vague, the future can still change…'_

'_Yes, it can,' said Briana kindly. 'I'm sorry, Lily. I shouldn't be worrying you with my troubles.'_

'_Yes, you should,' said Lily, placing a hand on her shoulder. 'We're friends, Briana. I'm here for you whenever you need me,' she paused as Briana evaded her gaze. 'You haven't talked to Sirius about these visions yet, have you?' _

'_He has enough to worry about as it is,' said the dark haired witch. 'I don't want him getting himself killed because his mind is on me instead of on his mission.' _

'_I can understand that, but you really shouldn't keep it from him,' said Lily gently. 'He's worried about you…I've heard him talking to James about it. He loves you, Bri.'_

'_I know,' said Briana, stopping in the doorway and looking at the scene before her. Judy sat on James' lap, playing with his dark blue tie as he talked to Sirius about the latest Quidditch match. Peter and Remus talked quietly. They both looked pale and tired. 'I'll tell him…' whispered Briana as Sirius looked at her and cast her a loving smile. 'I'll tell him when it's time.'_

'Jude…?' She moaned in protest as her comfortable pillow suddenly moved. 'Come on, Jude. Nap time is over.' She turned, her eyes still shut, as she tried to fluff up the feather pillow and felt…an arm. 'I won't get any fluffier, no matter how many times you poke me…' Judy opened her eyes and looked at Fred's wide grin.

'Oh…' Judy quickly pushed herself upright. 'What…where are we?'

'We're pulling into King's Cross Station,' said Fred, glancing out of the window at the darkened sky. 'I thought I'd wake you…I can't carry you outside, my back would never survive, you see.' Judy slapped him on his arm. 'Ouch! Is that the gratitude I get for serving as your pillow during the entire train ride?' asked Fred as he rubbed his arm.

'It's what you get for not knowing you shouldn't joke about a girl's weight…' retorted Judy, yawning as she looked around the compartment. 'Where are George and Willow?'

'They left about ten minutes ago,' said Fred, getting to his feet and taking his rucksack from the luggage rack as the train came to a halt. 'Probably looking for a quiet corner to snog each other goodbye…' he added amused.

'Yes, probably…' agreed Judy, as she got to her feet and took her purple rucksack from the rack above them. 'How do I look by the way?' she asked. Fred arched a brow at her. 'I mean, is my mascara ruined or my hair a complete mess or…'

'Let's just say it suits you…'

'Fred!'

'You look fine, Byrne,' he smiled at her. 'Really. Now come on, I don't want to keep my parents waiting.' Judy nodded, waited for Fred to turn the corner and then quickly turned on her heel to check her appearance in the window.

She ran her fingers through her long raven black hair in an effort to untangle it into decency. Her mascara seemed to have stayed in place she noticed as she looked back at her own clear blue eyes. She recognized her mother in her features more than ever as she thought back about her dream…a dream she had chosen not to fight. Another memory of the family she'd missed out on.

She smiled at her reflection, thankful for what she'd seen.

Platform nine and three-quarters was swarming with Hogwarts' students and their families. Judy saw Shania and Abigail as she scanned the crowd, giving them both a short wave as she pushed her trolley onward. Fred had apparently walked ahead when she was looking at herself in the window, so she had to search for the Weasley family on her own. She'd looked around the crowd several times, certain that she would spot the family's red hair with ease, but she didn't.

'Judy!' She turned on her heel as Ginny walked up to her, pushing a trolley of her own. 'You're looking for Mum and Dad, aren't you?'

'Yes,' she said relieved. 'I lost track of Fred and I just can't seem to find them.'

'Don't worry, I know where they are,' she smiled at Judy. 'Follow me.'

As they reached the Weasley family, Judy saw Mrs. Weasley talking to the twins with a stern and worried look on her face. Mr. Weasley and Percy were scanning the crowd, looking a little concerned as well.

'Mum is telling them off for losing us,' said Ginny, rolling her eyes. Judy smiled at the younger girl, understanding all too well how concerned Lupin was for her and how he sometimes tended to forget that she wasn't a five year old anymore.

'How many times have I told you, you don't leave your little sister alone in this crowd!' said Mrs. Weasley to the twins as Judy and Ginny approached them.

'But Mum,-' Fred tried as he saw the other two approaching.

'No buts, Fred Weasley!' said Mrs. Weasley heatedly. 'And I can't believe you left Judy all alone. She's our guest and I promised her uncle we'd take good care of her…'

'Molly,' said Mr. Weasley hesitantly.

'Just a moment, Arthur,' said Mrs. Weasley, keeping her eyes on the twins.

'We're here, Mum,' said Ginny brightly, making Mrs. Weasley turn.

'Oh, hello dears,' she said warmly. 'Everything all right?'

'We're fine, Mum,' Ginny assured her.

'And you Judy?' asked Mrs. Weasley, worried. 'I must say you look…'

'I'm all right, Mrs. Weasley,' said Judy quickly. 'I just really could use a holiday,' she said truthfully.

'Yes,' she cast Judy a warm smile. 'It's good to have you with us, dear.' Judy smiled back at her, feeling truly welcome.

'Well,' said Fred, looking rather sour for being put in place a moment earlier. 'Now that everyone is finally here, can we go home? I'm starving…'

'Yes, what's for dinner?' asked George eagerly. Mrs. Weasley spun on her heel and looked at the two of them rather sternly.

'You two,' she said dangerously, pointing her finger at them, 'are doing the dishes tonight. And there will be no magic involved!'

'But Mum,-' George quickly shut his mouth as he saw his mother's eyes.

'How about we start heading for the bus,' said Mr. Weasley in a would be casual tone. He took Ginny's trolley and urged her to go through the barrier first.

'I must apologize for my brothers' behaviour,' said Percy haughtily as he and Judy walked toward the barrier. 'I assure you that their lack of responsibility does not run in the family.'

'I see,' said Judy as they waited for Mr. Weasley to disappear through the brick wall. 'Well, I must say I rather appreciate that they believe I can take care of myself.' Percy arched a brow at her before she walked toward the barrier, right through the brick wall and emerged between platforms nine and ten.

Judy walked straight into the Muggle crowd, avoiding crashing into an old lady with a walker and missing a pram by an inch. But even though she'd only just missed crashing into anybody, none of the Muggles noticed that she'd just emerged from a brick wall.

'HA!' Judy turned on her heel because of the laughter erupting out of nowhere. Fred had followed her through the barrier and George came out with a wide grin right behind him.

'What's so funny?' asked Judy confused.

'Percy,' Fred said in between laughs. 'I don't know what you told him, Byrne, but I don't think he's ever looked that offended except because of me and George.'

'What? I didn't mean to,-'

'Of course you didn't,' George interrupted. 'But we still think it's brilliant. Now you won't have to make up for our mother yelling at us.'

'I…what?!' Judy looked at the both of them. 'You're blaming that on me?'

'Do you think it's our fault?' asked Fred indignantly.

'Well, if you would have waited…'

'What? For you to redo your hair and make-up?' Fred retorted, a sparkle of amusement in his eyes.

'I wasn't, I…' Judy looked from one twin to the other, both wearing a grin on their faces. She felt rather uncomfortable being left speechless as the boys teamed up against her.

'Mum asked both of you to keep an eye on her.' The twins turned on their heel to face the familiar voice. 'Neither of you did,' said Ginny, her hands on her hips. 'And she stands up for you two no matter what…and still you act like a couple of gits.'

'I, we…' Fred and George stammered at a loss for words.

'Come on, Judy,' said Ginny, beckoning her. 'I'll show you the way.'

'OK,' Judy smiled as she followed the red haired girl. 'Looks like you two have met your match…' Judy said amused as she passed the twins, who seemed to have lost their tongue. Ginny smiled at her as Judy caught up with her.

'You looked like you could use a hand,' she said gently. 'They tend to get carried away at times, especially when their together…'

'I know,' Judy smiled. 'Thanks.'

'Don't mention it,' Ginny said brightly. 'I rather enjoy being the one that leaves them speechless for a change…'

Judy laughed as they walked on. 'Shouldn't we wait for the others?' she asked, looking over her shoulder.

'They know the way,' said Ginny casually. 'Besides, I don't want to linger too long…Bill is waiting for us at the house.'

'Bill?' asked Judy, stopping in her tracks.

'Yes, Mum's really glad he came over for the holidays. He usually stays in Egypt, because he can't get time off around this time of year,' said Ginny, stopping as she realised Judy wasn't walking right behind her anymore. 'Is something wrong?'

'No…' said Judy as she started walking again. 'It's just…' She met Ginny's eyes for a moment, remembering the afternoon they'd spent in the Quidditch stadium and how the young girl had more or less revealed her crush on Harry to her. 'Ginny, is…is Charlie at the Burrow too?'

'No,' said Ginny, casting Judy a sympathetic smile. 'He wanted to come, but he couldn't get any more time off. He spent all his spare days on this past summer and our trip to Egypt.'

'Oh…' said Judy, noticing to her own surprise that she sounded more disappointed than relieved. She knew that part of her longed to see Charlie again, though another part dreaded seeing him again because she was afraid she had misinterpreted his glances and his words.

'I think he would have come, if he could have,' offered Ginny gently as they headed for the elevator.

'I hope you're right,' said Judy softly, exchanging a smile with the other girl.

&

The fields surrounding the Burrow were covered in the same crisp layer of snow as Godric's Hollow had been in Judy's dream. The waning moon cast a magical light on the white fields. Combined with the star lit sky it made a perfect picture for a Christmas card.

Without warning, a triple-decker, violently purple bus appeared out of thin air, disturbing the peaceful scene. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt, followed by the sound of luggage toppling down to the floor.

'The Burrow!' The conductor Stan Shunpike called. He was a tall guy, with large protruding ears. His purple uniform was nearly as violent as the colour of the Knight Bus itself.

Judy was the first to drag her trunk out of the bus, her head still spinning a bit from the bumpy ride they'd had. A ride on the Knight Bus was never a pleasant one, though it was still far better than Apparating in Judy's opinion.

The Burrow, a crooked house of about six stories high, stood out against the darkened sky. The lights in all the rooms radiated a welcoming warmth and once again Judy couldn't help but feel right at home.

'Come on dear,' said Mrs. Weasley as she stopped beside Judy. 'The boys will carry the trunks.' She walked on as Judy lingered a moment longer to take in the sight of the high crooked house which had to be supported mostly by magic. She noticed Ginny stopping beside her from the corner of her eye. 'You really have a beautiful house.'

'Thanks. What house do you live in with your uncle?' asked Ginny interested as they walked on a small path leading to the house.

'It's a small cottage actually,' said Judy, smiling as she thought about her and Remus' home. 'It's in the country, surrounded by fields. It's just big enough for the both of us, but we like it.'

'Sounds lovely,' said Ginny with a small smile as she held the door for Judy to enter the kitchen. 'You can put your backpack down over there,' said Ginny, pointing to a corner in the living room as she walked to the stairs.

The dark haired witch looked at the small and cramped kitchen with its wooden table and chairs at the centre of it. On the kitchen counter enchanted knives cut up vegetables while a peeler separated the potatoes from their skin. The smell of tomato soup was already filling the room as a pan filled with the red concoction simmered on the stove. Mrs. Weasley overlooked it all as she washed lettuce above the sink.

Judy walked into the living room on her left, looking upon the familiar fluffy chairs and brightly coloured rug and coverlets. The Christmas decorations gave the room an even warmer atmosphere than it had had that past summer. Branches of holly, mistletoe and green pine had been put up all around the room. Wooden stars and snowmen, all painted in different colours, seemed to fill in the gaps the branches had missed. To top it all a Christmas tree, decorated with more ornaments than Judy had ever seen before stood in the far corner of the room.

'Bill! We're home!' Ginny called up the stairs.

Judy put down her rucksack and walked up to the fireplace, looking at a framed picture from the Daily Prophet on the mantle piece. The Weasley family waved at her excitedly from the picture that had been taken on their holiday in Egypt. It didn't take long for her eyes to wander to the broad shouldered Weasley standing at the back.

'_I hope…I hope I'll see you again sometime.'_

Judy's lips curled up into a small smile as she thought back on the way she and Charlie had said goodbye to each other, many months before. The worried look he'd had in his eyes after her crash, the way he'd said goodbye to her with an insecure look in his eyes, the small smile he'd cast her as their eyes had met…

'Bill!' Ginny called impatiently.

'I'm coming, Gin!' His call was followed by the sound of footsteps and screeching wooden steps. Judy turned on her heel in time to see Ginny give her eldest brother a hug.

Bill was a tall and slim man. His long red pony tail, dark blue jeans, black T-shirt and the silver skull dangling on a chain around his neck, gave him a sort of bad boy look that reminded Judy of her father. She could imagine many girls melting away by just looking at the eldest son of the Weasley family.

'You're acting like you haven't seen me in ages…' said Bill amused as he let go of his sister.

'Well, it has been nearly six months,' said Ginny defensively. 'And it's not like I see you every Christmas.'

'I can't argue with you there,' agreed Bill. 'Listen, I'm going to help the others with the trunks. We'll catch up during dinner, all right?'

'Yeah, OK,' said Ginny. 'Oh wait, before you go I want to introduce you to some one.'

'Ah yes, I almost forgot about our holiday guest,' said Bill with a smile as he followed Ginny to where Judy stood.

'Bill this is Judy,' said Ginny brightly. Bill extended his hand and gave Judy a steady handshake.

'Bill Weasley,' he offered with a smile.

'Judy Byrne.'

'Fred and George's friend, right?' Judy nodded. 'Gryffindor?'

'No, Ravenclaw,' she said apologetically.

'Ravenclaw…so you like to study…then what on earth made you become friends with Fred and George?' Judy laughed.

'Ginny, would you mind giving me a hand?' Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen.

'Coming, Mum,' said Ginny with a hint of regret as she already made her way to the kitchen.

'Quidditch,' said Judy as she noticed Bill's inquisitive eyes were still on her.

'Ah yes, Quidditch…well that explains a lot…' There was something about the amused look in his eyes and his chuckle that Judy couldn't quite place.

'What do you mean by that?' she asked confused as a loud thump made both of them turn. Mr. Weasley stood in the kitchen, leaning over a trunk.

'Bill, would you mind helping your brothers with the trunks?' asked Mr. Weasley as he put a hand on his back. 'I'm afraid my back is acting up again, and I don't want to spend Christmas lying in bed.'

'No problem, Dad,' said Bill, already moving past Judy, who was still waiting for an answer. He stopped as he noticed she was still looking at him.

'What do I mean by that?' he asked, his mouth curving into a mysterious smile. 'You'll find out soon enough,' he said with a sparkle in his eyes. His pony tail swayed as he turned away from her.

Judy looked after him as he walked out of the kitchen door, her mind racing on what he had and hadn't told her and the meaning of his words. The mischievous sparkle in his eyes and the secretive tone in his voice, didn't tell her anything except that he obviously knew of something she didn't. Having just met the eldest of the Weasley children, there was nothing more she could make of it. So, deciding that remaining in the living room thinking instead of helping the others was just plain rude, she walked to the kitchen and helped Mrs. Weasley and Ginny with preparing dinner.

By the time dinner was served, all of the trunks had been brought to the house and to the appropriate rooms. Mrs. Weasley informed Judy during dinner that she would be sharing Ginny's bedroom. Both girls were quite pleased to hear this.

As Fred and George started on the dishes, Mr. Weasley and Bill retreated to the living room for a game of wizard's chess. Mrs. Weasley took the sagging armchair in the corner of the room and resumed knitting what seemed to be a rainbow coloured scarf. Ginny and Judy exchanged one glance and, as if able to read each other's mind, decided to turn in for the night. They were both rather tired from that day's journey and the delicious dinner.

Ginny's room was located on the first floor and though small, the brightly coloured walls and the window overlooking the orchard made it appear brighter and larger than it really was. She had put up several posters of the famous wizarding band the Weird Sisters, while a poster of the Holyhead Harpies showed the youngest Weasley's love for Quidditch. A mattress lay opposite the wall where Ginny's bed stood, with a thick bright green comforter on top of it.

'It's not a very large room…' said Ginny apologetically as she followed Judy inside.

'It's perfect,' said Judy, smiling at her. Ginny returned her smile before turning and heading to the bathroom to get ready for the night.

Judy walked over to the window and looked over the darkened orchard, picturing herself flying through the trees and being chased by one of Gryffindor's best Seekers. Being alone in that room, the memories of that summer returning to her mind, she realised for the first time how much it saddened her that Charlie wasn't at the Burrow. Spending two weeks together would have been the perfect opportunity for them to get to know each other better…the perfect opportunity to find out if and what he exactly felt for her…

She leaned against the wall, her eyes still on the orchard as she took her brush from her trunk and started combing her hair. So many things had happened in the past months, so many things which had taken up her mind allowing virtually no room for her normal cares.

She had thought on Charlie, though not as often as she would have if her father hadn't escaped from prison. Perhaps it were all the events of late which had kept her from realising what she did now…She'd give anything to see him look and smile at her the way he had that past summer. She sighed, a flock of butterflies fluttering in her stomach, as she looked out of the window, disappointed. Since nothing was going as planned this year, she supposed it was only natural for her to miss out on Charlie and what could have been a perfect holiday.

&

Three days later Judy sat at Ginny's desk, overlooking the snow covered field and orchard, with her Charms book opened in front of her. Despite having spent her last weeks of term on doing homework, she'd still had a few chapters that needed to be read and essays that needed to be written. She'd decided to start on them right away, to get it over with as quickly as possible. And sure enough she was now working on the last essay which stood between her and her holiday.

The sound of laughter drew Judy's attention away from her roll of parchment for the umpteenth time as she watched the twins and Ginny throw snowballs at each other. Fred looked up at her and their eyes met as he gestured for her to come down. Judy shook her head with a hint of regret. She couldn't wait to stow away her books and join them, but she knew if she did she'd never find the discipline to tear herself away from them again and finish the essay on the Fidelius Charm that lay before her.

A knock on the doorpost made Judy look over her shoulder and she saw Bill leaning casually against the wall and casting her a smile. His rock star look didn't quite fit the fact that he'd been the best student of his class; he earned OWLs in all twelve subjects according to the twins.

'I can see why you're in Ravenclaw,' he said amused as he walked over to her. 'You do know the difference between a term and a holiday, don't you?'

'I'm just finishing up my last essay,' offered Judy as Bill sat down on Ginny's bed and looked over her shoulder.

'Finishing up?' asked Bill as he looked at the three lines she'd written. Judy couldn't help but laugh at his sarcastic tone.

'I am trying…' she said defensively. 'Your brothers just keep distracting me…'

'Ah yes,' said Bill, leaning over and looking at the three Weasleys in the snow. 'What's the deal between you and Fred anyway?'

'Deal?' asked Judy, turning on the chair to face him properly. 'We're best mates.'

'Just best mates?' asked Bill curiously.

'I hate to disappoint you, but yes. We're just mates,' said Judy truthfully. Bill nodded approvingly, again the mysterious sparkle in his eyes that Judy couldn't quite place.

'What…?'

'How about I help you with this?' he offered, ignoring the confused look on her face. 'I'm bored stiff and my only alternative is listening to Percy bragging about his Headboy Badge and how he intends to graduate with perfect grades…'

'I thought you were interested in academics,' said Judy confused.

'I am, but Percy tends to forget there's more to life than school,' Bill offered casually as he took up her book. 'So, the Fidelius Charm…'

Judy moved her quill along the paper as Bill read the chapter out loud, asking him for clarifications when she didn't completely understand what he said. She cast a few furtive glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking; his mysterious hints were still on her mind and she hadn't gotten to know him quite well enough to know what he meant by them. He caught her glances once or twice, the corners of his mouth curling up in that same secretive smile again. Judy quickly hid her face behind her raven black hair as she felt her own lips curling up as well.

Bill seemed to like the fact that he'd left her so curious and she had to admit she felt rather comfortable spending the afternoon with him, the same way she did when spending time with the twins. The two of them spent half of the afternoon on the two rolls of parchment which were required, having quite a few laughs and enjoying each other's company.

'There,' said Bill as Judy finished up the last line. 'If Flitwick doesn't give you at least an 'E' for that, then he has to be Confunded.'

'Thanks, Bill,' said Judy kindly. 'You've really been a great help.'

'No problem,' he said, smiling. 'How about a game of wizard's chess to celebrate you're homework free now?'

'Sounds good,' said Judy truthfully, putting her book and rolled up parchment in her trunk. Bill waited for her to reach his side before descending the stairs.

'Bill,' said Judy carefully, deciding that the afternoon they'd spent together had made them comfortable enough with each other to ask him a question. 'You're hiding something from me aren't you?'

'That is correct,' he said, smirking.

'And you're not going to spill the beans about what it is…are you?' she asked, not quite able to keep her voice from sounding hopeful.

'I am sworn to secrecy,' he said solemnly. 'He'd kill me if I told you.'

'He?' asked Judy interested. Bill smiled at her, indicating that his slip of the tongue had been completely intentional.

'Oh, you're bad,' said Judy, as they reached the ground floor. 'Who is it? Fred or George?'

'Like you said, I'm not going to spill the beans…' said Bill as he took up the chess set from a nearby table. 'Will you join me in the kitchen?'

Judy looked after him as he walked ahead of her. She glanced out of the window to her left and noticed the twins now making a snowman with Ginny. George looked up and waved at her, making her wave back absently as she thought on what the twins had up their sleeve this time.

&

'Judy?' She opened her eyes at the urgent whisper. 'Are you awake?' Ginny's blazing red hair reflected the first sunrays, making Judy squint.

'What time is it?' Judy asked sleepily as she stretched her arms carefully.

'Eight, I wanted to wake you before Fred and George will do it in a ruder way…' They both started at the loud knock on the door.

'Come on, Ginny,' called George from the other side, 'we won't wait for you.'

'And I'm taking your presents if you're not down in five, Byrne!' called Fred, followed by a thunder of footsteps down the stairs.

'Come on,' said Ginny. 'I spent an hour last year to find the Every Flavour Beans I got from Bill.'

'Eh, Ginny…is it ehm, possible for me to get dressed?' asked Judy, shyly. 'I mean, I don't want to go down in my pyjamas…'

'But we'll all be in pyjamas,' assured Ginny her, standing beside Judy's mattress in orange pyjamas with the pants a shade darker than the long sleeve top.

'Oh OK…' said Judy slowly as she cast back her comforter and got up from her bed. Her head span as she got up and she cautiously took hold of the rim of Ginny's desk, making sure the younger girl wouldn't notice. 'I'll just pull a brush through my hair then and be right down, all right?'

'Yeah, OK,' said Ginny, turning around and rushing out of the room. Fred and George were apparently very apt at hiding presents, if their younger sister was in such a hurry to get downstairs.

Judy grabbed a mirror from her trunk, positioning it on Ginny's desk so she could see herself as she brushed her hair. Though her head had stopped spinning, there was still a minor headache teasing the back of her head. She knew at her first sip of eggnog the night before that Fred had spiked it with Firewhisky, yet she drank it all, not wanting to offend Mrs. Weasley. As Mrs. Weasley offered her another glass, she took it thinking this time it would be safe, but as she drank it she soon discovered that Fred had slipped in somewhere and spiked that one too. She was glad she'd called it an early night and hadn't given Fred a chance to slip her any more alcohol.

Judy pulled on her brush harder than usual in an effort to hurry up and bit her lip as she literally pulled the tangles from her hair. Her face looked acceptable, though she wasn't really pleased with the dark circles around her eyes. Though, admittedly they weren't as bad as they had been a few weeks ago. In fact, Judy thought as she looked at herself, her sunken cheeks seemed fuller and her pale complexion had regained some of its former colour. Mrs. Weasley's meals were definitely the most important cause of that.

'You're really planning to search for your presents for the rest of the day, aren't you?' Judy turned on her heel, recognizing the amused tone of voice. Even in his linen pants and wrinkled Weird Sister T-shirt, Bill still pulled it off to look as if he were heading to some sort of rock concert. His long red hair was pulled back, uncombed in a quickly made pony tail.

'I was just about to head downstairs,' offered Judy truthfully. She felt rather embarrassed as she stood facing him in her pink flannel pants and lilac short sleeve shirt with a pink Pygmy Puff on the front.

'Well then, by all means,' he stepped back to allow her to descend the stairs first. Judy tried to hide the breath she drew as she walked past him, feeling nervous about walking around in her pyjamas in a strange house.

'No, I said you had to wait!' Mrs. Weasley called.

Judy came at a halt at the bottom of the stairs. She waited a moment to take in the scene before her. The Weasley family sat around the Christmas tree as Mrs. Weasley handed out mugs with hot chocolate. The atmosphere was heart warming. Judy couldn't help but wish Lupin was there to share the moment with her.

Judy walked toward the gathered family and sat down on the armrest of the sagging armchair, which Fred had claimed for his own. He cast her a grin and padded his lap, indicating she was free to use it if she wished. Judy smiled at him without answering nor moving.

'Can't blame a bloke for trying,' he offered, faking disappointment. 'You look cute in that by the way…' Judy hid her blushing cheeks behind her long black hair.

'Hot chocolate, dear?' asked Mrs. Weasley kindly, wearing the brightest green robe Judy had ever seen in her life.

'Thank you,' she returned Mrs. Weasley's smile as she took the last warm mug in her hands.

'Can we start unpacking now?' asked George excitedly.

'Oh very well, go ahead,' said Mrs. Weasley, sitting down in a big fluffy chair behind Ginny.

Judy looked around the room as she blew the steam of the warm brown liquid. Ginny unpacked the rainbow coloured scarf Mrs. Weasley had been knitting a few days before. The twins got a green and an orange jumper, bearing an 'F' and a 'G'. Judy smiled as she noticed how they each put on the wrong one. It wasn't the first time they'd pretended to be each other.

'Here,' Judy looked up and met Ginny's eyes, who held out a package in front of her. Judy put down her mug on a small table beside her and took the present with a smile. She unpacked it to find a blue jumper with an orange eagle on the front.

'Thank you,' she smiled at Mrs. Weasley who beamed at her. Judy carefully put the blue bundle down beside her as she watched the twins unpack the gifts she had taken with her. They both tore the wrappings of their presents excitedly and… looked rather disappointed as each of them held up a bright blue teacup.

'Well, Jude…this is really…' said George slowly as Fred held up the teacup to examine it more closely. He jumped as it bit his nose.

Ginny and Bill simultaneously burst out laughing as Fred hopped around the room with the teacup dangling from his nose. Percy's face was battling between a look of amusement and disapproval, as Mrs. Weasley looked at her son worriedly.

'Brilliant,' said George, grinning from ear to ear. 'Bloody brilliant.'

'Oh Fred,' said Judy, getting to her feet and following him as he hopped into the kitchen. 'I didn't buy them for you to use on yourself…' She put a hand on his shoulder to make him stop getting away from her, took the cup handle and squeezed it twice. Fred rubbed his nose as Judy held the teacup.

'A Nose-Biting Teacup…' he said, sounding half-amused. 'You could have given me a heads up, Jude.'

'I know,' said Judy apologetically. 'But then I thought on what you would do if it were the other way around…' Fred grinned at her, appreciating her sense of humour.

'You're a worthy opponent, Byrne,' Fred said amused as the two of them headed back into the living room where the other Weasleys still sat the way they'd left them. Ginny wiped away tears of joy as Mr. Weasley studied George's cup. Percy seemed to have lost interest and taken up the Daily Prophet, while Mrs. Weasley cast Fred a relieved smile as he came back, unharmed. Bill and George were just looking at Fred with a set of smirks.

'Mum, this one is for you and Dad,' said Ginny, who had gotten to her feet and retrieved a large square parcel from the pile of presents. Judy sat down on Fred's armrest once again and watched in silence as Ginny handed the present to her mother. Mrs. Weasley unpacked it, looking surprised. She took a long look at the framed drawing and then smiled at Judy.

'This is wonderful, dear,' Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. She turned it around for everyone to see. Fred and George smiled at them from the charcoal drawing, dressed in Quidditch robes, their arms draped over each others' shoulder and in their other hand a broomstick.

'That's a real good likeness,' said Mr. Weasley honestly, as he looked over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome, said Judy with a smile as she picked up her mug again and sipped the warm chocolate.

Judy leaned to her right to lean against the backrest of the chair a bit; the armrest she sat on turned out to be far from comfortable. Fred lifted his arm and put it around her waist in a purely friendly manner to allow her to lean into him a bit.

'Do you want to trade?' he asked, looking up at her.

'No, I'm fine,' said Judy truthfully. 'Just promise you won't move…I don't want to lose my balance and fall on your lap.' Fred looked at her teasingly. 'Don't,' said Judy warningly, making him pout like a little boy being put in place.

Judy leaned back as she watched the Weasleys unpack their presents. Percy got mostly school items with which he seemed extremely pleased. He gave Judy a graceful nod as he unpacked the two bottles of ink she'd bought for him. Fred and George got a bunch of sweets from their brothers and sister, since they knew all too well that whatever magical item they'd give the twins was bound to be used against them at some point. Ginny got a t-shirt of the Holyhead Harpies and an autographed picture of the team captain Gwenog Jones, for which everybody had chipped in. Bill opened a small square package with a smile as he noticed it was one of the few special editions of the latest Weird Sisters album. Mrs. Weasley got a book about knitting patterns and a cook book called _Magical Meals: How to make delicious dinners with the swish of a wand. _Mr. Weasley received several Muggle items, which Judy was sure Fred and George had bought from Muggleborn students. The two bottles of elderflower wine seemed to be a present from the other three children. And of course, as all Weasleys had unpacked their presents they were all wearing a knitted jumper with the first letter of their name on the front.

Judy herself was quite pleased with her pile of presents which, apart from the jumper Mrs. Weasley had knitted for her, consisted of a package of liquorish wands, Chocolate Frogs and a Screaming Yo-yo which she'd quickly rewrapped as its piercing scream made everybody in the room jump. There was no mistake who had given her that gift… Her last gift, a poster of the Pride of Portree Quidditch team, lay next to her on the table with a postcard from Willow wishing her a good Christmas. Apparently Willow was really enjoying her skiing holiday and, to her own surprise, had managed to not break any of her bones yet.

'There,' said Mrs. Weasley as half the morning had already past. 'Time for breakfast,' she said brightly.

'Excellent,' said the twins in unison, walking to the kitchen to set the table as soon as possible. Bill and Percy were eager to help as well. Judy could hear their stomachs rumble. She waited for Mr. Weasley to walk toward the kitchen as well before she jumped from her seat and quickly took Ginny by the arm to prevent her from walking away from her. The red haired girl turned around in surprise.

'Ginny, do you have a minute?' asked Judy in a whisper, trying to hide the excitement she felt inside.

'Ehm…yes, I suppose,'

'Good,' said Judy, pulling Ginny along to the staircase. 'I have to show you something,' she whispered as she rushed up the stairs, Ginny following closely behind her.

Judy quickly walked to her trunk and took out the rolled up drawing, bearing a red ribbon. She turned on her heel to look at Ginny, casting a confused look at her from the doorway. 'I didn't think you wanted to unwrap this with everybody present…' offered Judy. She walked over to the younger girl and handed her her gift. 'Happy Christmas.'

Ginny looked at her suspiciously as she carefully unrolled the drawing. She looked at it for a while, her jaw dropping an inch, and then looked up at Judy with a sparkle in her eyes.

'I promised I'd make you one…' said Judy smiling, as she looked down at the drawing in Ginny's hands. Harry Potter was lying flat on his broom with one extended hand reaching for the Snitch. 'Do you like it?'

'I love it!' said Ginny excitedly. 'This is really…thank you, Judy.'

'You're welcome,' she said with a smile as she recognized the look in Ginny's eyes all too well. She really wished she could have seen the red haired man that had conquered a piece of her heart without even knowing it.

'Ginny, Judy! A hand would be nice!' George called up the stairs. Ginny quickly rolled up her drawing and hid it in her desk drawer in case George decided to come and get them.

The two girls rushed down the staircase, eager to help out with breakfast since their stomachs were demanding a decent meal. Ginny cast Judy a bright smile over her shoulder as she preceded the older girl to the kitchen. Judy couldn't help but return it, pleased that Ginny was so happy with the drawing she'd made.

As she entered the kitchen, the hustle and bustle of everybody setting the table, caught Judy off guard and made her stop for a moment to try and get an overview of what was happening. She had trouble stepping in and contributing her bit as most of the china and cutlery and every food item which didn't need to be cooked or fried was already on the table.

Judy couldn't help but smile as she looked around the room at the busy family. It was truly heart warming how she was only getting to now them and yet they'd welcomed her with open arms and had really made her feel part of their family. She was about to ask Mrs. Weasley what chores were left for her to do, when a ticking noise drew her attention.

Judy walked to the clock from which the ticking originated, seeing for the first time that it wasn't an ordinary clock. It had nine hands, each one belonging to a different Weasley. There were no numbers but words and sentences on the edge, indicating locations and activities. Judy noticed how Ron's hand was pointing to_ at Hogwarts,_ and seven of the hands pointed to _at the Burrow_. She looked at the hand which was moving around the clock; its ticking noise was what had drawn her attention. The hand bearing Charlie's name and picture was moving and it didn't stop until it reached the place where seven of the other hands already stood.

'George,' she said confused, making him stop beside her. 'Why is Charlie's hand pointing at,-'

'Charlie!' Ginny's call echoed in Judy's mind. Her heart did a summersault and froze at the same time as she stared at the clock and realisation of what was happening behind her back dawned on her. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them up again to ensure she wasn't having some sort of cruel dream of something which simply couldn't be. She was slow to turn around, listening to the excited chatter in which she couldn't discern his voice. But he was there…

Standing in the kitchen, surrounded by his family, Charlie's ruffled hair and dishevelled appearance indicated he must have just arrived by Portkey. Ginny had apparently thrown herself into his embrace as she saw him, since she was only now pulling back to allow her mother to greet her second eldest son. Mrs. Weasley truly beamed as she kissed Charlie on the cheek.

'What a pleasant surprise, Charlie,' she said happily, framing his face with her hands and smiling up at him.

'Good to see you, son,' said Mr. Weasley, clapping Charlie on the back.

'Very nice of you to join us,' said Percy, distant as ever as he shook his brother's hand.

'When did you get here?' asked Ginny excitedly. 'I didn't know you were coming!'

'Well, it was supposed to be a surprise,' offered Charlie, his lips curled up in a smile due to the warm welcome. 'Only Bill knew.'

Judy was quick to look at the eldest Weasley son, who answered her questioning gaze with an amused sparkle in his eyes.

'_Bill,' said Judy carefully, deciding that the afternoon they'd spent together had made them comfortable enough with each other to ask him a question. 'You're hiding something from me aren't you?'_

'_That is correct,' he said, smirking. _

'_And you're not going to spill the beans about what it is…are you?' she asked, not quite able to keep her voice from sounding hopeful. _

'_I am sworn to secrecy,' he said solemnly. 'He'd kill me if I told you.'_

Judy's eyes were wide like saucers and her cheeks turned scarlet.

_Bill knows_

'Brought us presents?' asked Fred bluntly while shaking his brother's hand.

'Here,' Charlie handed both him and George identical packages. They unpacked it and both pulled out a set of dragon hide gloves. 'For Quidditch,' added Charlie, meeting their broad grins.

'These are great,' said George, clapping his elder brother on the back to thank him.

Judy watched in silence as Charlie handed out presents to his family. She pretended to be oblivious to Bill watching her and tried to hide her face from view by allowing her long black hair to fall over her cheeks. She looked around the room in a desperate attempt to do something instead of stand there like a complete idiot, but since the table was completely set there was nothing left for her to do.

Mrs. Weasley held up a bracelet of red corals, which according to Charlie were made with dragon blood. Ginny had gotten a set of earrings of the same kind. Mr. Weasley cast Charlie a thankful smile as he held up a bottle of Romanian Firewhisky. Percy seemed very pleased with a new quill and Bill smiled broadly as he unpacked the latest edition of _Taking Care of Curses. _

'Now,' said Mrs. Weasley, beaming at her family. 'Breakfast. Sausages and eggs for everyone?' The Weasleys confirmed, nearly in unison.

Judy's heart nearly burst out of her chest as everybody took a seat at the table. Bill went into the living room to get an extra chair and brushed by her, drawing her away from her thoughts and back to reality. She focused her gaze and noticed Charlie putting down his backpack in the corner of the room and slipping out of his coat.

'Mrs. Weasley,' she asked in a desperate attempt to avoid the inevitable confrontation. 'Is there anything I can do?'

'No, thank you dear. Just sit down with the others and enjoy your breakfast,' she offered kindly.

Judy nodded, having expected Mrs. Weasley to say just that and turned around, already hearing footsteps closing in on her. Charlie walked up to her, a confident stride in his walk that she didn't remember seeing before. A confidence which she herself didn't feel at all as she suddenly realised that she was wearing her pyjamas and hadn't brushed her teeth yet.

'Hi,' said Charlie with a smile.

'Hi,' said Judy, very aware of her warm cheeks. 'Merry Christmas.'

'Yes, you too,' said Charlie, still smiling. 'You ehm…' he hesitated as he looked at her attire.

'It's ehm…very pink, isn't it?' offered Judy, deciding that taking lead was perhaps the best method to reduce the burning of her cheeks.

'Quite…' he agreed with a smile. 'But it suits you,' he said gently. It surprised her that their talking was actually calming her nerves instead of increasing them. She remembered all too well Lupin's and Willow's comments on how she tended to get herself worked up about something much more than she had to.

'Thanks,' she said with a smile as she studied his appearance for a moment and managed to suppress the urge to tidy his hair a little. 'Looks like you had a rough journey…'

'Portkey,' he explained, confirming her suspicions. 'Not my favourite way of travel.' Judy nodded in agreement; travelling by Portkey was even worse than Apparating in her opinion. 'Listen, I ehm…I'm sorry but I didn't bring you anything,' he said apologetically. 'I didn't know you were going to be here.'

'You didn't…' By some miracle she managed to turn the words into a statement instead of a question. 'Of course you didn't,' she said quickly. 'I'm afraid I didn't bring you anything either,' she offered in the same apologetic manner. 'I guess that makes us even?'

'Yes, I suppose it does,' Charlie smiled at her as Judy realised for the first time how blue his eyes really were.

'Charlie?' He looked past Judy at his mother. 'Where will you be sitting, dear? Since you've travelled such a long way I think you should have breakfast first.'

'What?!' said Fred and George at the same time. 'That's not fair, Mum!'

'I suppose over there,' he gestured at the two empty chairs beside Percy. 'But you can give them their breakfast first, Mum. My stomach is still turning because of that Portkey.'

'All right then, Judy you're our guest, where will you sit?' Judy pointed at the left chair of the two free ones. She walked past Charlie as Mrs. Weasley walked over to her plate.

'What?!' The twins said in unison once again, staring hungrily at the sausages and eggs that Mrs. Weasley was putting on Judy's plate.

'Ehm, I don't think I can eat all that,' said Judy, her eyes on the five sausages and two eggs on her plate as she carefully slid onto her chair.; it didn't seem able to be moved in any direction with the table at the front of it, the wall on the back and Percy on the right.

Fred and George cast Judy a pleading glance from across the table as Mrs. Weasley walked back to the stove. 'One each,' she said gently. The twins took the offer without hesitation, each pricking their fork in a sausage and putting it on their own plate.

'Can we start, Mum?' asked George eagerly.

'But of course dear,' she called from the stove. 'I don't want you eating your breakfast cold.' The twins devoured their sausage without hesitation.

Charlie sat down next to Judy, as it was the only chair left which was unoccupied. He too had little room to spare and with a table leg on his left, he was forced to steer his knees a bit more to the right.

Judy looked down as their knees touched, unable to ignore the touch of his legs against hers and the flutter of butterflies breaking free from the cage in her stomach.

'I can try and shove a bit,' said Charlie apologetically as he tried to move his chair already.

'No,' said Judy quickly, looking at the twins opposite her and noticing to her relief that they took no hint of her eager tone. 'I mean, I don't mind,' she glanced sideways, looking straight into Charlie's eyes as the curves of his mouth showed a hint of a smile.

&

Judy smiled at her own reflection as she pulled her pink brush through her long raven black hair. It was reaching her hips by now and she made a mental note that she had to have it cut when back at Hogwarts; Shania was an expert when it came to haircuts and she had cut Judy's hair with the flick of her wand more than once.

She looked down at the everlasting candle Lupin had sent her via owl that afternoon, literally sending her a light for the nights the darkness was too much for her. The small note that had come with it thanked her for the new shirt and tie she'd bought for him and explained the reason for his gift, referring to the conversation they'd had the day before she took the train back to London. Lupin knew that if she followed his advice and was going to allow her visions and dreams to come to the surface, she was bound to wake up scared and confused in the darkness. Now, at least she would never be without a light to chase her fears away. She smiled as she realised how he never stopped caring for her.

Judy divided her hair and started working on a small herringbone braid, first left and then right, before pulling the braids back and clasping them together at the back of her head. Her black lashes seemed twice as long by the time she'd finished her mascara and a burgundy lipstick, matching her V neck fitting shirt completed her look. Her dark blue fitting jeans and black pumps, gave her look enough casual flair to make her feel comfortable. It wasn't really like Judy to apply so much care to her appearance, though she usually made an exception on special occasions…and the arrival of the unexpected guest sleeping in the room across from the one she shared with Ginny definitely fell into that category.

'Wow,' Judy turned in her seat. 'You look beautiful,' said Ginny, looking at Judy as she walked in the room.

'I didn't overdo it, did I?' asked Judy carefully.

'No, no…' Ginny looked at the herringbone braids. 'I love your hair…would you…I mean,-'

'Sit down,' said Judy amused as she got up from her seat. She picked up her brush again and started combing the red coarse hair. 'How about…' said Judy, thinking. 'I pull half you hair back and braid it the way I did mine?'

'Sounds good,' said Ginny, smiling at Judy via the small mirror put up on her desk. Judy smiled back at the younger girl, who by now she considered more as a friend than just her best mates' sister.

Half an hour later both girls walked down the stairs, having been called down by Mrs. Weasley to help her out with preparing Christmas dinner. Judy saw Fred ogling her as she passed, knowing fully well that the only reason he wasn't whistling at her was because his mother was standing a few meters away.

'Not bad, gorgeous,' he said, his voice less loudly than it normally would have been. Judy cast him a smile over her shoulder.

Another hour had passed before Ginny and Judy put the last two bowls with salad and vegetables on the table. The kitchen table was set like a Hogwarts' feast with several kinds of salads and vegetables, sweet potatoes and a huge turkey in the centre of it all. The different kinds of pastries which had been set out that afternoon were temporarily set aside, waiting to be brought out again for dessert.

Judy sat down to Fred's right at the corner of the table, since her shorter and slimmer legs would mean she'd be less bothered with the table leg. Bill sat at her right at the head of the table, though fortunately he didn't seem to be as focused on her as that morning.

'George,' said Mrs. Weasley as the other Weasley children took their seats. 'Be a dear and wake up Charlie for dinner.' The second eldest Weasley son had taken a nap during the afternoon; the time difference between Britain and Romania had proven to be too much to handle.

'Now, if you'd all pass your plates,' said Mrs. Weasley as she put a ladle in the pan of tomato soup. Ginny started collecting the deep plates and soon enough they were rotating around the table, empty ones toward Mrs. Weasley while plates filled with soup came back the other way.

As George entered the kitchen, followed closely by Charlie, all of the plates were back in their original position again. Fred interpreted their entrance as a gunshot announcing the start of a race; he immediately picked up his spoon and greedily started eating his soup.

Judy looked around the table, searching for the salad bowl as Charlie sat down opposite her. She couldn't stop herself and cast him what had intended to be a fleeting glance…intended to be, because when their eyes crossed Judy couldn't help but look back at him.

Charlie reacted like a student being caught in the Potions pantry by Snape himself. He evaded Judy's gaze and quickly picked up a jug of Pumpkin juice to pour himself a glass.

Bill hid his chuckle behind his hand, but since Judy was seated next to him she could still hear it. She ducked her head to hide the smile playing across her lips. Perhaps she was going to get the perfect holiday she'd secretly hoped for, after what seemed to be the worst six months of her life.

'So Judy,' she looked up as Percy addressed her. 'You couldn't spend Christmas with your family this year?' He asked interested, though rather blunt.

'No,' Judy was quick to answer, 'my uncle he…' she exchanged a glance with Mrs. Weasley and could read in her eyes that she'd kept her and Lupin's secret. 'He was rather busy with work; he had to catch up on a couple of things.'

'And you have no other relatives?' Percy pressed on, looking at her through his horn rimmed glasses. Judy could feel Fred tense beside her; he knew how she hated to talk about her past. Or rather, the lie of her past she'd always tell.

'No,' said Judy, denying the existence of her living ties to the Black family.

'What about your parents?' asked Percy, his curiosity clearing ruling over his tact.

'Perce,' Fred started, but Judy quickly put her hand on his.

'It's fine,' she assured him, taking a deep breath before telling the lie she and Lupin had agreed upon. 'My mother died when I was two years old,' she'd agreed with Lupin to keep that part the same, since many had died in the last wizarding war. 'She was killed by a Death Eater.'

'I'm so sorry, dear,' said Mrs. Weasley kindly, her eyes a little moist.

'What about your dad?' asked Ginny quietly.

'I never knew my father,' Judy said with watery eyes, caused by having to lie once again to people who had been so kind to her. 'He left my mother before I was born.'

'Git,' said George.

'George! Language!' scolded Mrs. Weasley.

'Sorry, Mum,' he said quickly. Judy exchanged a small smile with him, thankful that he cared. She knew his kindness was what had attracted Willow to him in the first place.

Judy picked up her napkin to catch a tear which had managed to escape from her eyes. Fred looked at her for a moment, worried, but his eyes soon brightened as she cast him a small smile to indicate she'd be all right. Although…she never could be all right with lying to people that cared for her and betraying their trust.

&

That evening Judy leaned against the house, looking up at the clear sky and the gleaming silver stars. Since she and Ginny had helped out preparing dinner, they didn't have to help the twins and Percy with the dishes. Judy had used the opportunity to sneak outside for a fresh breath of air and a bit of privacy as the memories of her past came back to her mind. She was relieved to find out that, despite her not resisting or fighting them, the visions didn't come and she was left with thoughts and memories which were all her own.

She looked up at the stars the same way she'd done as a child, quickly finding the constellation of Orion and looking for Canis Major to its lower left. She smiled as she saw the star she'd been looking for. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky stood out against the less bright ones with the same kind of flair her father had always stood out against the average Hogwarts student.

Her smile faded as she thought longer on her father…on the run, trying to stay out of the hands of Dementors. While she was welcomed so warmly by a family she barely knew, he had no family to run to, no family waiting for him to come home. Judy knew she was the only person in the world ready to believe that Sirius hadn't betrayed his best friends. The only person that would even consider protecting him from his fate and she still had a few doubts playing in the back of her mind. In the end, she knew he had to prove his innocence on his own.

Judy took a deep breath and wiped her tear stained cheeks, unable to stifle her sobs. She couldn't remember ever having felt so happy and sad at the same time.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know-'

Judy looked up, startled and met Charlie Weasley's eyes. He looked at her uncomfortably, afraid he had intruded on something he shouldn't have seen.

'Oh no,' Judy wiped her cheeks dry with the sleeve of her winter coat, 'I'm ehm…fine…well, OK anyway.'

'Yes, you ehm look OK…' Charlie met her eyes, looking concerned. Judy didn't say anything as she looked back at him, not wanting to feed him more lies. She never wanted to lie to Charlie. 'Do you mind if I join you?'

'No,' said Judy, thankful for his offer. 'I'd like some company.' Charlie smiled at her as he carefully walked over to her, searching for safe spots in the snow to put down his feet, as he carried two mugs.

'It's eggnog. Mum's recipe.' Charlie offered as he handed Judy a mug which she took with a smile. She moved the mug to her mouth but hesitated to drink it.

'Charlie, you didn't let Fred anywhere near this, did you?'

'What?' He looked at her for a moment and then smiled. 'Oh no, not a drop of Firewhisky in that one.' Judy smiled, guessing Charlie was speaking from experience. She sipped the warm eggnog, allowing it to warm her a little; she had realised too late that going out in the snow in her black pumps wasn't one of her best ideas.

'I must say that eye of yours healed up nicely,' said Charlie as he leaned back against the free spot of wall beside her. Judy glanced sideways, again registering that hint of a smile.

'How so?' The question rolled over her lips before she could stop it; a bolder side of her, no doubt inherited from her father, had temporarily taken over the shyness she'd inherited from her mother.

'Well,' he said slowly, turning his head to face her. Judy could tell by the look in his eyes that he hadn't expected her quick reaction. 'It's just…' he hesitated. 'I don't remember them being so beautiful,' he said with a smile, though carefully.

She flushed, her cheeks burning like they were on fire. She looked back at the horizon and ducked a little to allow her long black hair to fall forward and hide the reddened skin. Her shyness had clearly taken the lead again.

Judy sipped her eggnog as an awkward silence dawned on the two of them. One side of her wished to pursue her search and satisfy her curiosity about Charlie's feelings for her. The other, the one that had turned her face into a beetroot, refused to let her say anything, simply too afraid for her dream of him to be crushed to bits.

'I ehm…' Charlie started slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. 'I have a confession to make to you, Judy.'

'Oh…?' she managed to let slip casually.

'Yes, I…I lied to you this morning,' he said, a tone of guilt colouring his voice.

Judy turned to face him in surprise, realising too late that her cheeks hadn't quite cooled off yet.

'About what?' she asked curiously.

'I did bring you something,' said Charlie, a hint of shyness breaking through the small smile he cast her.

'You did?' Judy asked surprised.

'Yes.' He slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a dark rectangular case. He handed it to her, showing again that mixture of confidence with shyness bubbling under the surface.

'Oh, Charlie,' said Judy, putting down her mug on a stack of snow covered logs. She slid off the red ribbon and opened the dark case. 'You really didn't need to….' Her voice faltered as she looked at the thin silver chain with a single red coral at the end. 'Charlie, this is way too much!' She looked up at him, shaking her head. 'I can't accept this.'

'Well, I'm afraid you'll have to, because I don't have any receipt.' Charlie said amused as he watched her stammer a protest.

'But we…we hardly know each other,' said Judy, ignoring the explosion of butterflies inside of her and somehow finding herself able to reason rationally.

'May be…' he paused to take a deep breath and met her blue eyes with his own. 'May be this is my way of saying I'd like for that to change.'

Judy's heart seemed to burst out of her chest at his words. She looked back at him, unable to say or do anything but look at him. Was he really saying what she thought he was?

'Do you like it?' he asked, a questioning look in his eyes.

'I love it,' said Judy truthfully. 'It's beautiful, Charlie. It's just…'

'What?'

'I didn't get you anything…' she said, feeling guilty. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the sparkle in his eyes.

'You didn't know I was coming…' Charlie retorted. 'I mean, I didn't even know I was coming till about two weeks ago…'

'Yes, Ginny told me you'd already taken too many days off this year and that you couldn't come,' said Judy, recalling her conversation with Ginny at King's Cross Station.

'She was right,' said Charlie truthfully. He took the silver chain from the box and undid the small lock. 'Turn around,' he said gently. Judy did as he said and gathered her loose hair to keep it out of his way.

She didn't speak as he lowered the silver chain and red coral in front of her and fumbled with the lock at the back of her neck. When he'd finished he took her hair from her and let it cascade down her back like a waterfall.

'So then,' said Judy, turning back to face him and continuing their conversation. 'You did have some days to spare?'

'No,' he said, looking at her necklace with a smile. 'I'm going to have to work overtime to make up for this vacation. You know, that really looks good on you.'

'Thanks,' Judy smiled at him. 'But then…if you weren't coming at first and you're here now…what made you change your mind?'

Charlie looked straight into her eyes as he said: 'You.'

'Me?' asked Judy confused, though the butterflies scattered throughout her body understood all too well.

'Ginny wrote to me that you were coming over for the holidays,' said Charlie, that hint of insecurity still in his eyes. 'I changed my mind, because I wanted to see you again.'

Judy couldn't speak as she looked back at him; unable to say or do anything as she slowly started realising what he was saying. Charlie looked back at her, clearly not feeling comfortable that he was the only one putting his neck on the line. Judy agreed that he had a point.

'I ehm…' she said slowly, 'when Ginny told me you weren't coming, I was disappointed. Very disappointed,' she said truthfully, seeing the insecurity fading from his eyes. 'I'm really glad you're here, Charlie.'

'Me too,' he said softly.

'Charlie, I,-'

'Oh, there you are, Byrne!' called Fred from out the window a few meters away from her. 'Come on, you and me, wizard's chess.'

'I'll be right in,' said Judy, waiting for Fred to pull back before she looked at Charlie again. 'If I won't go in, he'll come and get me.'

'Yes, I know,' agreed Charlie. 'Are you any good at wizard's chess?'

'No,' said Judy amused. 'But Fred likes to win, so it's not too big of a problem.' He laughed.

'Byrne!'

'I'm coming!' she called back at him, before casting Charlie an apologetic smile.

'Go,' he said gently. 'I'm going to stay out here for a few more minutes.'

'OK,' she put the empty dark case in her pocket and picked up her mug of eggnog from the snow covered logs. 'I'll see you later then?'

'You will,' Charlie assured her. Judy cast him a small smile and walked past him toward the kitchen door, her heart pounding against her chest as she thought on what he had said. Her heart warmed and felt like it was going to explode as she realised that her perfect holiday had just begun.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: **Once again my apologies for this chapter taking ages to be posted. I know it's not very motivating to stick to a story when chapters are posted so far apart, but unfortunately my daily life is claiming a lot of my time right now. Therefore I once again want to thank everybody who has commented on this story and has stuck with it so far. Your comments are what keep this story going. In fact, an important storyline in this chapter was inspired by SiriusDoctorWhoHoney329 and WuHaoNi's comments about the previous chapter...you'll figure out what it is while reading the story. I hope you all will enjoy the following chapter :).

For those who haven't seen it already, I have posted a new trailer for this story. You can find it at YouTube (I can't post the link here, but just search with 'Blue Raven, Red Lion, Black Dog' and you should find it).

**Chapter 13**

**The Raven and the Lion**

A clear blue sky, teased by the pink and orange glow of the rising sun, greeted Judy as she opened the kitchen door and traded the warmth of the Burrow (of which the residents were still sound asleep) for the cold winter morning. The fresh layer of snow crackled under her brown leather boots as she stepped outside.

Judy silently closed the kitchen door, grabbing the doorknob hard as a wave of fear and sickness washed over her. She closed her eyes, relaxed, and opened her mind to whatever vision was about to take hold of her. But the images refused to come.

She had gone to bed, feeling happier than ever before in her life. Charlie was all she could think off as she easily drifted to sleep and he was the one person her dreams centred on that night. That is, until her dream of him was interrupted by flashes of a different time and she awoke shivering and feeling rather nauseous.

Judy wrapped her woollen jade coat tighter around her as she made her way through the snow and toward the orchard. Her coat, black scarf and the blue jumper with the orange eagle successfully kept the outside cold at bay. However, they couldn't protect her from the cold she felt within.

As soon as she had started fighting off her visions, she knew that by the time she would stop she would have to pay the price. And she also knew the longer she would fight her visions, the higher the price would be. In fact, it wasn't the price itself that scared her; it was the fact that the family sleeping inside, ignorant of her gift, would witness the cost her body and mind inevitably had to pay. Judy didn't want to think on how they would react to her so-called gift; the gift of Sight was often considered to cause bad luck, since it was mostly associated with visions of death and darkness. She couldn't bear to think what it would be like if Fred and George started avoiding her. Let alone if Charlie…

She failed to shrug off the cold shiver running down her spine as she walked under the bare trees. It scared her to think how Charlie would react to her gift, yet at the same time the thought of him, his words, his eyes, warmed her heart. She was glad she felt that warmth; she knew it was her only barrier against the effects her next vision would have on her. It was a protection she wanted to hold onto as she had no intention of spending the remainder of her holiday in bed.

Judy leaned back against one of the larger trees as she looked at the sunrise and allowed the first rays to warm her. The growing moon was still visible in the cloudless sky; a pale reflection of the white orb from the night before. Judy stood upright again, taking the letter she'd written to Lupin from her coat pocket and an owl treat from the other.

She looked up at the roof of the Burrow. The barn owl which had delivered Lupin's letter the day before sat waiting for her reply. She motioned for it to come down as she held up the owl treat. It only took a few seconds for the owl to reach her side and land on her arm. The owl took the treat as Judy tied the envelope to its leg.

'This is for Professor Lupin,' said Judy softly as she met the owl's dark eyes. 'Please hurry to deliver this to him.' The owl looked at her as if offended that she would think it would linger and then flew off with a loud hoot.

Judy looked after it as it flew up toward the morning sky. She closed her eyes and opened her mind once again for the vision teasing the back of her mind. And once again, it refused to emerge. After having been outside for an hour she gave up her efforts with a sigh and started making her way back to the house.

The delicious smell of cooking welcomed Judy as she entered the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley turned from the stove as Judy closed the kitchen door behind her. She wore a flowered apron which seemed to consist of a hundred different colours.

'Good morning dear,' said Mrs. Weasley warmly. 'Ginny told me you'd gone for a walk. She said you weren't feeling well?' the older woman asked concerned.

'Yes,' said Judy truthfully. 'I didn't sleep too well.'

'Perhaps you should take a nap this afternoon,' offered Mrs. Weasley kindly.

'Yes, I think I will.' The two witches exchanged a smile before Mrs. Weasley turned back to a frying pan with sizzling bacon. Judy slipped out of her coat and hung it up on one of the hooks beside the kitchen door. She looked sideways as several pairs of feet thundered down the stairs.

'See? I told you, Gin!' called Fred over his shoulder as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs. 'Not a chance!'

'You really should listen to us more often,' agreed George who was the second one to appear, followed by a panting Ginny.

'Well, your legs are twice as long as mine!' retorted Ginny defensively.

'That has got to be the poorest excuse I have ever heard,' said George, evading Ginny's hand as she threatened to slap him.

Judy shook her head as Fred walked toward her with a grin. 'Racing against your little sister…?' She arched a brow at him.

'Well, I would have challenged you if you hadn't escaped and…' He stopped talking and his smile faded as he stopped in front of her. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing. I'm just feeling a little off,' said Judy casually.

'A little off?' asked Fred sceptically. 'I remember the last time you were feeling a little off…' Judy smiled at him.

'Well, then you'll at least be around to catch me this time.' Fred cast her a small smile, though concern still stained his eyes. 'I'll be all right,' Judy added gently.

'Is breakfast ready, Mum?' asked George eagerly as he entered the kitchen.

'Almost, dear. Would you mind fetching the others?'

'No problem.' George turned on his heel and rushed back toward the staircase while

Judy followed Fred to the kitchen cabinets to take out plates and cutlery.

'Feeling any better?' asked Ginny gently as they set the table.

'A bit,' said Judy honestly.

'Good,' said the younger girl brightly, though she too looked at Judy, worried. Judy evaded Ginny's eyes as a feeling of guilt seeped into her heart. If only she wasn't so scared to tell them the truth about what she was really going through…

'Good morning, children!' said Mr. Weasley brightly as he walked over to Mrs. Weasley and placed a kiss on her cheek.

'Morning Dad,' said Ginny and Fred in unison as they laid down the last cutlery.

'Good morning Mr. Weasley,' said Judy as she took her seat.

George was next to enter. He sniffed the air greedily and sat down opposite Judy and next to Ginny. Percy walked into the kitchen with the Daily Prophet under his arm and his horn rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He already opened the newspaper as he sat down on Mr. Weasley's left hand side, who again sat at the head of the table.

Bill and Charlie were last to enter the kitchen, laughing over a joke the others had missed out on.

Judy looked up and couldn't help but smile as she saw Charlie, though she did her utmost to hide it from the twins. Charlie smiled back at her, apparently not caring who saw his affection for her.

'Who wants bacon and eggs?' Mrs. Weasley's question was answered by Fred, George and Bill trying to claim the first round of food for their own. Judy couldn't help but laugh at the sight of them.

'Aren't you hungry?' Charlie's gentle voice made Judy turn in her seat.

'I can wait,' said Judy with a smile, though her own smile faded along with Charlie's. 'I'm just a bit tired,' she said, reading his mind.

'Are you sure that's all? I mean…'

'I look really awful?' offered Judy amused.

'You look ill,' Charlie corrected her. 'I can't imagine you ever looking awful,' he added as his lips curled up in an affectionate smile.

'Can't you?' asked Judy amused as their eyes locked.

'Ahum,' Bill cleared his throat. 'Charlie...pass me the salt would you?'

'Yeah, sure,' said Charlie with a hint of regret as he turned to his brother.

Judy turned back to her empty plate and leaned over Fred's to pick up two pieces of toast from a platter. She glanced sideways as she held the two pieces by a corner and sat down on her seat again. Fred looked at her in a way she'd never seen before.

'What?' she asked confused, not able to untangle the mixture of emotions in his eyes. 'You're still worried about me, aren't you?' Judy said affectionately. 'I'll be fine, Fred. Trust me.'

'Yes,' he said absently, his eyes still a mixture of emotions. 'You'll be fine…' He turned to his plate, stuck his fork in a sausage and bit off one of the ends. Judy turned back to her own plate, absently accepting the butter Charlie offered her and doing her utmost to ignore the unsettling feeling in her stomach.

&

Two days later, Judy sat on the couch in the Weasley's living room, wrapped in a thick warm blanket with her sketchbook on her lap. The Christmas tree with its many coloured lights and numerous ornaments gave the room such a warm feeling that Judy couldn't help but feel like she was at home. She smiled as she thought on Lupin and reminded herself to give him a big hug when she saw him again.

The living room was deserted safe for Bill who was reading the Daily Prophet in a nearby chair. Without knowing it Bill had volunteered to be Judy's model for the day, simply by keeping her company. However, when he'd found out she was drawing his picture, he hadn't protested. Judy knew why he hadn't; he didn't like for her to be alone while she was feeling ill. It was funny how a guy so different reminded her of Lupin so much, simply because he cared for her well being.

Judy looked outside through the window on her right and leaned back against the backrest of the sofa as she observed the twins in the snow. They were playing a game of Exploding Snap, which Fred had only agreed to after checking with Judy five times that she was going to be all right. She hadn't realised before her holiday with the Weasleys how caring Fred could be; it was a side she hadn't seen of him before. It felt good to know that he cared for her the way he did, that she could count on him if she needed his support. She smiled as Fred looked up and waved at her. She'd never thought that her best mate would turn out to be like a big brother watching over her.

'You don't expect me to sit here all day do you?' Bill asked, drawing Judy back to the living room. He looked at her over his paper.

'No, just a couple more hours,' said Judy, smiling as she saw his widened eyes. 'I'm almost done,' she reassured him as she started drawing out his ponytail with a piece of charcoal.

'You know, you can be worse than those two at times…' said Bill, jerking his thumb at the twins outside.

'I'll take that as a compliment,' said Judy amused as Bill shook his head.

'How are you feeling by the way?' he asked gently. Judy smiled because she had to answer the same question about ten times a day.

'Better,' she said truthfully. 'Though I'd rather stay inside than go out there…' She looked out of the window as she heard a small explosion. George laughed loudly as Fred shook his head.

'Hey, I'm not paying you to be distracted…' said Bill, faking a serious tone.

'Oh, you're paying me?' Judy asked interested.

'Paying you for what?' asked Charlie as he walked down the rickety stairs. He wore a pair of worn baggy jeans and the jumper his mother gave him for Christmas. He cast Judy a warm smile as their eyes met.

'Well, that's our little secret.' said Bill mysteriously. 'Isn't it, Judy?' Judy smiled and shook her head as she continued on her drawing. Charlie sat down closely beside her; both of them pretended not to notice the free space on his other side.

'You're paying her for this?' Charlie asked curiously. 'Are you sure?'

'Thanks for your support, Weasley,' said Judy, drawing on without looking at him.

'Hey, there's no need to drag the family name into this,' offered Bill amused.

'Right, I'm sorry,' said Judy with a smile. 'I forgot that you would never make fun of my drawing skills…'

'Oh great,' said Bill as he got to his feet. 'If she screws up my drawing it's your fault Charlie…'

'Yes, it will have nothing to do with the fact that you can't sit still for a few minutes,' said Judy amused, looking after him.

'Do you two want a drink?' Bill asked without turning.

'Pumpkin juice, please,' said Judy as she lay down her drawing on the armrest.

'Me too,' added Charlie as Bill disappeared from view. 'You know, you are really good at that,' he said to Judy as he gestured at her drawing.

'Thank you.' Judy couldn't help but lean into him a little to savour his warmth; no matter how many blankets she wrapped around herself she could never really make the cold fear in her heart disappear.

'Are you feeling any better?' Charlie asked softly, making Judy smile. 'What?'

'Nothing,' she said amused. 'I'm feeling a little better.'

'Good,' said Charlie warmly. 'You know, I was thinking…may be we can go for a walk later?'

'I'd like that,' said Judy truthfully. 'I'm just going to have to wear ten coats to keep me warm,' she added amused.

'You're cold?' asked Charlie, worried.

'A bit.' She said truthfully.

'May be I can help,' Charlie offered as he took her cold hands in his. Judy shuddered as a cold shiver ran down her spine. She closed her eyes as the vision again teased the back of her mind. 'Are you OK?' Judy held his hands tightly as he threatened to let go.

'Don't let go,' she whispered, holding onto the sense of protection he provided her.

'I won't,' said Charlie reassuringly, covering her hands with his. 'I won't let you go.' Judy opened her eyes and met his as she realised the meaning of his words. His lips showed that hint of a smile again as their eyes locked.

'Well, it's good to see you two are being careful…' said Bill sarcastically as he entered the room again. Judy instinctively let go of Charlie's hands.

'Why should we be careful?' asked Charlie as he covered Judy's hands with his own again.

'Oh I don't know,' said Bill as he put down a tray with three glasses of Pumpkin juice. 'I suppose you have nothing to worry about…Mum will be very understanding when she sees you cuddling with an underage witch…' he said meaningfully.

'Mum will…' Charlie's voice trailed as he let go of Judy's hands.

'Mum will not understand,' said Bill as he handed them their drinks. 'You know she won't.' Judy sipped her Pumpkin juice in silence as she observed the exchange between the two brothers. 'Remember what I told you, Charlie…'

'I remember,' he said, sounding a bit annoyed. Bill arched a brow at him as he sat down on his chair again. 'I do, Bill,' Charlie said truthfully.

'Then act accordingly,' said Bill seriously. Charlie nodded without responding. He moved away from Judy, much to her regret, and leaned back as he drank his Pumpkin juice. She waited for a moment, hesitating whether to ask what the two men were talking about. It was the thoughtful and annoyed look in Charlie's eyes that made her decide not to pry.

Judy put down her drink and picked up her sketchbook and charcoal again. 'Now, do you think you can sit still for a few moments so I can finish this?' she asked as she looked at Bill.

'Judy, I am all yours…' he offered with a grin as he picked up the Prophet again.

'Finally,' Judy said dramatically. She couldn't help but cast Charlie a few glances as she drew Bill and added the finishing touches to the drawing. Charlie didn't seem to notice her as he stared in the distance, lost in thought.

'Here,' said Judy as she handed Bill the finished drawing a quarter of an hour later.

He took a long glance at it, before smiling up at her. 'Do you like it?'

'It's great. Can I keep it?'

'Of course you can.' Judy smiled at him.

'Thanks,' he said as he got to his feet. Judy looked after him as he walked to the kitchen. She waited for him to be out of sight before she looked at Charlie over her shoulder. The way he sat there silently, it looked as if someone had Petrified him.

'Are you all right?' Judy asked gently.

'What?' he asked as if awaking from a dream. Judy leaned back as she kept her eyes on him.

'I asked if you are all right,' she repeated kindly.

'Yeah, I just…' He got to his feet and looked around the room while running his fingers through his hair. 'Would you excuse me for a minute?' He walked away from her without waiting for an answer.

Judy looked after him, unable to neither talk nor move as Charlie rushed up the rickety stair case, without even casting her a glance. She startled as Ron's bedroom door fell shut a few seconds later. Judy shivered and wrapped her blanket closer around her, but it couldn't protect her against the cold freezing her from within. She bit her lip as her body started to tremble and the vision threatened to take over her mind again.

'Not yet,' she whispered as she fought it off against her better judgment; she was too afraid to go through it alone, to go through it without his protection. She lay down on the couch, crouched together in a foetal position to savour the warmth of her own body. And, feeling how her fight again drained her energy, allowed sleep to overtake her.

&

The remaining days Judy spent at the Burrow were the quietest and uneventful days she'd had in the past six months. She spent most of her time in bed or wrapped in a blanket on the sofa as the fight against the vision which threatened to take her over drained the energy she'd built up the week before.

Only a few days ago she'd been ready to let the vision happen, she'd even welcomed it, knowing how Charlie felt about her and sensing the protection his warmth provided her. But now that he'd barely spoken to her since his conversation with Bill and the strength of his protection had faded to a thin veil which would fall apart by the slightest touch, Judy was simply too scared to face her vision and its consequences. She knew what could happen if she did; she couldn't do it alone.

Judy sat in the sagging armchair with her feet propped under her. She wrapped her blanket tighter around her as another shiver ran down her spine and she closed her eyes as the vision tried to take hold; she had to keep it at bay for a little longer.

'Jude, are you,-'

'I'm fine,' she said quickly, opening her eyes. 'I'm just thinking about my next move.'

'Oh, well take your time then…I have to admit that winning does get tiring after the fiftieth time,' Fred said amused from across the chessboard.

Judy arched a brow at him before leaning forward and moving her knight. She didn't need Fred's grin to know that she was heading for an inevitable defeat once again.

'I suppose I just did something outrageously stupid?' Judy asked dryly as she watched Fred's hand move to his queen.

'Yes, you did,' said Fred amused as he took his queen and moved it across the board. 'There,' he said, letting go of the piece. 'Checkmate.'

'Merlin's sogging…' Judy swallowed the rest of her words as Mrs. Weasley walked into the living room.

'Come on, Byrne…don't be a sore loser,' Fred said amused.

'Well, it gets kind of hard after the fiftieth time…' Judy said truthfully.

'I can't understand why you do it, Byrne,' said George as he looked at them from the sofa. 'I mean, there's barely enough room for him and his ego as it is…'

'I see your point,' said Judy amused as she got to her feet. 'Perhaps I shouldn't let him win next time…' she said thoughtfully, walking toward the kitchen. Ginny laughed from behind her book.

'Well, if you want a rematch…' Fred called after her.

'I'll take a rain check,' she called back over her shoulder as she entered the kitchen.

Bill was the only occupant of the otherwise deserted room. He sat at the kitchen table, laying out playing cards in a manner Judy hadn't seen before. 'It's a Goblin game,' he said, without looking up from his cards. 'I'd explain it to you, but it took me about three months to get the hang of it…'

'Then I don't mind if you don't bother…' said Judy, looking down at the game as Bill started moving around the cards.

'So, got tired of losing to my brother?' asked Bill as he cast her a glance.

'No, not specifically,' said Judy with a smile. 'Just tired in general.'

'Well,' Charlie put his hands on her shoulders from behind. 'The best remedy for that is a breath of fresh air…' Judy smiled as he took the blanket from her shoulders and led her to the coat stand.

'I don't know, Charlie,' said Judy hesitantly as he held up her coat for her. 'I mean…what about…the others?' she asked meaningfully.

'I'll cover for you,' offered Bill quickly. 'You two just make sure you're out of sight before anybody notices you're gone.'

'Thanks mate,' said Charlie as they buttoned up their coats. 'I owe you one.'

'Just one?' asked Bill amused. Judy cast the eldest son of the Weasley family a thankful smile as Charlie pulled her along with him.

The cold winter air enveloped the couple as they left the Burrow. Charlie pulled Judy along as he started running. Her feet barely touched the snow as she tried to keep up with him. It wasn't long before her breath came in raspy gasps and she pulled on Charlie's hand to slow him down. Charlie looked over his shoulder and suddenly stopped, making Judy crash into him and fall back on the soft snow.

'Oh, I'm sorry…' said Charlie quickly as he pulled her up from the ground. 'I didn't mean to…' He stopped talking as Judy laughed out loud.

'We're…we're like…' she said as she panted and laughed. 'We're like Fred and George running away from Filch…'

'Well, then you've obviously never been reprimanded by my Mum before…' said Charlie amused. Judy smiled as he brushed the snow off her back.

'Well, you're the one who sneaked me out, so…'

'Listen Byrne, if I'm going down I'm taking you with me…' said Charlie with that hint of a smile Judy loved.

'Well, if I am,' said Judy, 'I have the right to know why we snuck out like that.'

'Isn't that obvious?' said Charlie, taking her hand. 'I mean, don't you…'

'I do,' said Judy gently. 'I feel it too.' Charlie smiled at her as he brushed back her loose dark hair from her face. Judy closed her eyes to savour his touch and then… froze.

'What's wrong?' asked Charlie, sounding concerned.

'Nothing,' said Judy, her eyes still closed as she tried to steady her breathing. She shivered as fear suddenly gripped her heart. 'I'm just tired,' she said hoarsely, as the vision once again teased the back of her mind. She squeezed Charlie's hand to make sure he was still there and smiled as the protection between her and the effects of her vision became firmer.

'You know,' said Charlie slowly. 'I've been meaning to do this for days…talk to you…alone.'

'I've been waiting for you to do it…' said Judy truthfully. 'But I…I wasn't sure you would, since you've been avoiding me for days.'

'Avoiding you?!' asked Charlie, taken aback. 'I haven't…I didn't mean to…I just…I needed some to think,' he concluded.

'About what?' asked Judy, casting him a glance.

'Everything…' he paused before he continued hesitantly. 'Us.'

'Us?' asked Judy as her stomach did a summersault. 'Which part of 'us' did you need to think about?' she asked curiously.

'Just some things Bill said…some things I hadn't counted on…' Charlie stopped talking as he looked at her. He put his hands on her arms and looked straight into her eyes. 'Listen Jude, I know that this is all happening very fast and …are you OK?'

'Fine…' she said with closed eyes as the fear in her heart swelled. 'I'm…' she bit her lip as she felt it happen; as she felt her body cave under the constant strain she'd been putting it under for months. 'Charlie…' she said breathlessly as she began to tremble due to the vision pressing against the wall of protection in her mind.

'Jude?!' said Charlie concerned. 'What's happening to you?'

'I…' Her voice broke as her trembling limbs started shaking violently. 'Charlie…' she said as the images before her eyes quickly switched between him and the vision overtaking her.

'I'm here, Jude,' he said gently as he tightened his hold on her.

Judy looked straight into his concerned eyes as she realised that he was there, that he wouldn't leave her alone, no matter what happened. She managed to force her lips up in a small smile as she looked back at him through misty eyes.

'Hold me,' she said in a whisper as her knees buckled and the vision pulled her in deeper than it ever had before.

_She was standing in a dormitory she realised as she looked around. Red curtains hung from the familiar looking four poster beds, of which only four seemed to be in use. Judy clearly recognized the Gryffindor colours as she looked around the room. Quidditch posters and posters of old wizarding bands she vaguely recognized were pinned to the walls. She could tell by the scattered jeans, T-shirts and footwear that she was in the boys' dormitory. _

'_Sirius, would you stop throwing balls of shaving cream at me?!' James called over his shoulder as he ducked and a white fluffy ball flew toward Judy and went right through her. 'I swear if you hit me, I'll…'_

'_You'll what?' asked Sirius smugly as he entered the dormitory. Judy smiled as she recognized the mischievous sparkle in the teenager's eyes. He leaned against the doorpost, as he waited for James' response. The dark hair framing his face was as black as the leather jacket he wore over a maroon coloured blouse. Combined with his dark blue jeans it made him look lethally handsome. _

'_I'll put a Bat-Bogey Hex on you,' threatened James. 'And I'd like to see just how many girls you manage to snog when your own bogies are attacking you…'_

'_You do that,' said Sirius warningly. 'And I'll put a toenail-growing hex on you that will make Evans run right into the Forbidden Forest.' _

'_Well, then it looks like me and Peter will be getting the most action tonight,' offered Remus with a grin as he entered the dormitory. Peter came in after him, still wiping off remnants of shaving cream from his cheeks. The two of them didn't look anything like the weary, pale adults Judy remembered them to be. Remus actually looked well, with a slightly tanned skin and Peter looked rather well groomed compared to the scruffy hairdo Judy had always seen him with. _

'_You'll be getting more action than Prongs here,' Sirius agreed as he still leaned casually against the doorpost. 'Evans will jinx him the moment he tries to make a move on her.' He let out a bark like laugh. _

'_Oh, I don't know Padfoot,' said James, messing up his hair to make it look like he just got off a broom. 'She seems to be warming up to me lately.' _

'_Well, at least he's persistent,' offered Remus with a grin. _

'_Yes,' agreed Sirius. 'And not to mention a fool…' James ignored his remark as he straightened his shirt. _

'_Ehm guys…' said Peter hesitantly. Judy recognized the insecure tone of voice from the adult she remembered. 'Shouldn't we get going?' _

'_What time is it?' asked Sirius lazily._

'_Almost nine,' offered Remus. _

'_Nine…' said Sirius thinking. 'That means most girls already drank some of the punch and…'_

'_May I remind you that you haven't been there to spike the drinks yet…' offered James with a grin. _

'_Damn, I forgot about that,' said Sirius, straightening up. 'Well then we'd better get going. Come on Peter, hurry up!' He turned on his heel and headed down the spiral staircase with Peter hurrying after him. _

'_Peter, you really don't have to listen to him…' Remus called after him, but Peter was already out of sight. _

'_You're not wearing your badge tonight?' asked James amused as he walked past his friend. _

'_I think I'm already going to be in enough trouble without one,' said Remus dryly as he followed a laughing James out of the dormitory._

_& _

_Sirius led the group as they walked silently down the seventh floor corridor. He and James scanned the front as Remus and Peter covered the back. Judy smiled as she followed them with a casual stride, while the four boys walked tiptoe. _

'_I think we're here,' Sirius whispered as they stopped in the middle of the corridor. _

'_But there's nothing here…' said Peter anxiously, looking around the corridor._

_Judy looked at the boys in confusion as they walked back and forth in front of __a tapestry showing Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet. Peter seemed to share her confusion as he constantly looked over his shoulder. _

'_Why aren't we moving on?!' He asked nervously, looking from James, to Sirius, to Remus. _

'_Because my dear Peter,' said Sirius smugly. 'We are already there...'_

_Judy followed her father's gaze to the wall opposite the tapestry. The stone wall slowly transformed and Judy could only gape as a large dark wooden door appeared in front of them; she'd never used the Room of Requirement before and had only thought it to be a rumour, despite the twins' efforts to convince her otherwise. _

_As James opened the large wooden door, they were immediately met with music, laughter and excited chatter. There was no Hogwarts uniform to be seen in the room, making it impossible to discern which houses the fifty or so students were from. Though Judy thought it highly unlikely that any of them were from Slytherin house. _

_Sirius took the lead and entered the enormous hall. It seemed to have been created for the party going on inside of it. Music could be heard in every corner of the room and garlands of red, blue and yellow, which Judy recognized as three of the four house colours, were put up all around the room. The centre of the room was used for dancing while refreshments and snacks adorned long tables aligning the walls._

'_What do you think Prongs?' asked Sirius as he scanned the room. 'One bottle of Firewhisky?' _

'_How about half?' offered James as he too looked around the room. 'A whole bottle will get them so plastered you'll have to keep them from falling over when you snog them.' _

'_Good point,' said Sirius with a grin. 'See you later guys,' he said as he dashed off to the nearest punch bowl. _

_Judy quickly walked after him, but to her own surprise she was pulled back to the other three boys. She barely registered James leaving the group and Peter scurrying away to obtain a few snacks as she searched for Sirius in the crowd. She couldn't understand why the vision didn't follow her father's movements. She couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to follow him…_

'_Remus!' Judy's mouth broke into a grin as she turned on her heel. A teenage girl with long raven black hair and almond shaped brown eyes walked over to them. 'You're fashionably late, aren't you?' Briana asked amused as she stopped in front of him. _

'_James and Sirius claim it isn't cool to arrive early,' he offered apologetically. _

'_Yes, that sounds like them…'_

'_You don't even know them, Bri,' said Remus amused. _

'_I know what you told me about them,' said Briana, blushing slightly. Remus cast her an affectionate smile. _

'_How about we get some drinks?' He offered as he held up his arm for her. Briana took it with a smile. Judy followed the two of them to one of the long tables, having lost track of her father entirely. _

'_How are you feeling?' Briana asked in a whisper as she and Remus walked around the dancing students. _

'_Best I've felt all month,' he said meaningfully. 'What about you?' _

'_All right,' Briana shrugged. 'Just a little lonely…'_

'_Are your room mates still avoiding you?' asked Remus sympathetically. _

'_Well, you know what they say Remus,' said Briana, unable to keep a tremor from her voice. 'Seeers are nothing but bad luck.'_

'_Yes, dim-witted ignorant people do say that...' Remus smiled as Briana laughed lightly. _

'_Thank you, Remus…' said Briana gently as they stopped to get themselves drinks. _

'_Don't mention it,' said Remus kindly, taking two cups. He took the ladle from the punch bowl as Briana leaned back against the table to observe the crowd. 'You know, it's good you're here tonight. You could use the distraction to take your mind of things…' Remus' voice seemed to fade as Judy looked at her mother, who didn't seem to hear a word Remus was saying as her eyes were fixed on something on the other side of the room. _

_Judy followed Briana's gaze, through the dancing crowd, and across the room where a handsome teenage boy casually leaned back against the other long wooden table, laden with drinks and food. Judy smiled as she saw how her parents looked at each other. __Sirius' face was framed by the long locks of his dark hair and his lips curled up in a mischievous smile. Briana's cheeks coloured red as she quickly broke their eye contact. _

'…_better than be cooped up in your dorm and not see anybody but your room mates,' finished Remus as he handed her a cup of punch, ignorant to the fact that she hadn't heard a word he said. _

'_Yes,' said Briana absently as she sipped her drink. Judy recognized how she ducked her head to allow her long black hair to cover her reddened cheeks. _

'_By the way,' said Remus amused. 'I hope you don't expect me to dance with you…' _

'_What?' asked Briana distractedly. 'Ehm no…of course not…' Remus eyed her suspiciously. _

'_Are you all right?' _

'_I'm fine,' she said softly. Remus arched a brow at her. 'I'm fine,' Briana repeated more confidently. _

'_Well, whenever you're ready to tell me what's wrong…' offered Remus, before taking another sip from his drink. _

'_I'll let you know…' said Briana quickly. Remus smiled at her and shook his head. 'I know, I know…I'm hopeless…' Briana returned his smile. _

'_Remus!' He turned on his heel to face the familiar voice. 'What are you doing, mate? I haven't had the time to spike this one yet…' said Sirius as he looked at the drink in his friend's hand. _

'_Which is exactly the way I like it,' offered Remus._

_Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Absolutely no sense of adventure…' He looked sideways, as if noticing Briana for the first time. 'And no manners either…how about an introduction, mate?'_

_Remus rolled his eyes. 'Sirius meet Briana. Briana, Sirius.' _

'_Hi,' Sirius flicked back his hair before offering her his right hand. Briana couldn't suppress a small smile as she extended her hand as well. _

'_It's nice to meet you,' Briana gasped as Sirius took her hand. She closed her eyes and Sirius caught her as she swayed dangerously. Judy's eyes widened as she recognized what was happening to her mother. _

'_Briana?!' said Remus worried. _

'_I'm fine…' she said hoarsely. 'Just a little dizzy…' She closed her eyes again. Judy knew her mother was trying to stop the vision playing in front of her eyes._

'_Are you sure you're OK?' Judy smiled as she noticed the worried look in her father's eyes. _

'_Yes, I'm sure,' said Briana confidently as she switched the support of Sirius' arms for that of her own two feet. 'You can let go of me, Sirius.'_

'_OK, but don't let me find you collapsing in another guy's arms…' he said with his usual flair. _

'_Only if you promise me not to catch any other girls in yours…' said Briana with such confidence that both Remus and Judy looked surprised. Sirius, however, cast her an approving smile. _

'_Ahum,' Remus cleared his throat. 'How about a dance, Bri?'_

'_You want to dance?' asked Briana confused. Remus only nodded. 'OK,' said Briana as she took the hand he offered her. Judy couldn't suppress a smile as she noticed the look in Sirius' eyes; it had to have been the first time that Remus managed to loosen a girl from his grasp. 'Bye, Sirius,' said Briana as she followed Remus to the dance floor. Remus didn't meet his friend's eyes._

'_Briana,' Remus said as he took her hand and put his other on her waist. 'What in Merlin's name was that?'_

_Briana smiled. 'I believe it's called flirting, Remus,' she said amused. 'I didn't do all that bad, did I?' Remus looked over her shoulder and noticed Sirius still looking at the two of them. _

'_No, you didn't…but…it's Sirius…' _

'_Are you worried about me, Remus?' asked Briana gently. _

'_Of course I am,' said Remus quickly. 'You're my mate. I don't want to see you get hurt…and you will if you get involved with him. You know his reputation when it comes to girls…'_

'_I do,' said Briana, meeting his eyes. 'But I know he won't hurt me.'_

'_How can you know…?' Remus voice trailed as he noticed the look in Briana's eyes. 'Merlin's beard…you saw something about…you two?' He asked in an urgent whisper. Briana only smiled. 'But…but…'_

'_I know, it's Sirius…,' she said understandingly as they made a turn. 'But even Sirius Black is capable of change…'_

'_I suppose,' said Remus, sounding far from convinced. 'Just…be careful.'_

_Briana cast him a warm smile. 'You know me, Remus. I'm always careful. Even Sirius Black won't change that.' _

Judy's eyes flew open as she awoke with a start. She sat up straight, grabbing hold of the backrest of the sofa as a sudden wave of nausea threatened to take hold of her. She tried to swallow in an effort to moisten her dry mouth and throat, but burst out coughing instead.

'She's awake!' Ginny was so fast by her side, Judy thought for a minute she'd Apparated.

'Oh thank goodness…' said Mrs. Weasley, who's worried face soon appeared by Ginny's side. 'How are you feeling, dear?'

'Sore…tired,' said Judy hoarsely. 'Thirsty…'

'I'll get her some water,' Bill disappeared from view as soon as Judy had noticed him.

'Do you have any idea what happened to you?' asked Mr. Weasley as he too appeared at Judy's side.

'I…I…' Judy looked at the family gathered in front of her.

'Is she all right?' George came rushing down the stairs. 'I heard you talking to her…'

'She seems to be OK,' said Mr. Weasley slowly. 'She was just about to tell us what happened to her.' George looked at her eagerly.

Judy made a quick decision as her mother's words still played through her mind. 'I guess I just…fainted.' She said hoarsely. 'I mean, you know I haven't been feeling well for a couple of days…' George nodded in agreement, much to Judy's relief.

'Then you must have been feeling really off…' said Percy sceptically.

'Come on, Percy,' responded Ginny. 'You've seen her the past few days…'

'Here's you water,' Bill said as he appeared within Judy's sight once again. She took the glass from him with a smile and drained its contents in one, savouring the moist sensation sliding down her throat. 'More?' Bill asked amused. Judy nodded, casting him a thankful glance.

Judy smiled as she looked at the Weasley family; she was rather glad she didn't wake from her vision alone. 'Where are Fred and Charlie?' she asked, noticing the two Weasley brothers were missing.

'Upstairs,' said George, exchanging a glance with his mother.

'Ginny,' said Mrs. Weasley. 'Would you mind giving me a hand in the kitchen?' Ginny quickly got to her feet and followed her mother out of the room.

'Percy, have you read that article in the Prophet about the heightened security in Azkaban yet?' asked Mr. Weasley as he put his arm on Percy's shoulder and directed him toward the kitchen.

'What's going on?' asked Judy apprehensively as she noticed Mr. Weasley stopping Bill from returning to the room.

'When Charlie carried you inside earlier and Fred noticed you were unconscious…' George paused.

'Oh George, what did he do?' asked Judy worried.

'He started questioning Charlie about what happened, but Charlie didn't answer because he was busy looking after you and…Fred…I don't know, he just got really angry with Charlie,' said George. 'I think Fred blamed Charlie that you were…I mean, you were unconscious, but your body was shaking and convulsing and…we were really worried about you.'

'Please tell me he didn't pull his wand on Charlie,' said Judy truly concerned.

'No,' said George reassuringly. 'No, he didn't. He just yelled at him and then Charlie yelled back and Mum sent them upstairs to cool off.'

Judy sighed and shook her head. 'Why is it every time something happens to me they have to argue about who is to blame?' George smiled at her.

'What can I say Byrne? I guess we all just care about you,' he offered amused.

Judy's smile soon faded. 'It's not funny though…your brothers are fighting because of me.'

'They'll have forgotten all about it in the morning,' said George lightly. 'Fred just overreacted…it wasn't easy seeing you in the state you were in…' he added truthfully.

'I can imagine…' said Judy gently. 'But that's still not a reason to yell at each other…'

'No, it isn't,' George agreed. 'May be you should go talk to them…though I'm not sure you'll be able to get through their thick skulls…'

'George!' Judy scolded.

'Just kidding!' said George as he held up his hands. Judy's smile was broken by a long yawn. 'I think you'd better try to get some more sleep before you talk to them,' said George kindly.

'Yes, I think I'm going to go upstairs though…' said Judy, rubbing her back.

'Good, because your snoring is absolutely unbearable.' George grinned.

'Oy, just because I'm feeling dizzy doesn't mean I won't give you a blow to the head!' she joked.

'I'm sure you won't,' said George amused as he put an arm around her. Judy leaned on him as he helped her up from the couch. She allowed him to lead her to the stairs and grabbed hold of the banister as soon as it was within her reach. 'Oh no, you don't.'

'George, even though I'm feeling miserable, you know I'll win an argument with ease…' Judy said in a final tone. 'I can do this…'

He shook his head. 'Stubborn little witch,' he said affectionately.

'And proud of it,' said Judy amused. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. 'Thanks.'

'You're welcome.' George said kindly. 'Just don't fall down the stairs, because Fred and Charlie will team up against me and kill me if you do…' She laughed lightly before turning to the wooden steps before her.

Judy leaned heavily on the banister as she slowly ascended the rickety stairs. Her body was still paying the toll for the vision she'd had; her bones ached and her muscles felt nearly limp with exhaustion. George cast her a worried glance as her eyes fell on him, looking up at her from the living room. Judy cast him a small, but confident smile that she could do it on her own. She wanted to do it on her own.

Bill walked from the kitchen to the living room and already moved to the staircase as he saw her struggling. George took his arm, however, and held his eldest brother back. Judy could hear him whisper an explanation and smiled as she heard George complain about her stubbornness.

She was only halfway up the stairs leading to the first floor landing when she heard the sound of muffled voices. It took her less than a second to recognize the low baritone voice and the slightly higher pitched one. A cold knot formed in her stomach, as the muffled words became clearer while she slowly walked up the steps.

'Fred, this is none of your business,' said Charlie heatedly.

'None of my business?!' asked Fred indignantly. 'She's my best mate, so it is my bloody business, all right? What did you do to her?'

'You think I did that to her?' asked Charlie, taken aback. 'Do you honestly think I'd do anything to hurt her?'

'Well, I…' Fred let out a frustrated sigh. 'Then tell me what happened out there.'

'I already told you, Fred. We were just standing in the orchard and she didn't feel well and the next minute she fell to the ground and started shaking,' said Charlie, his voice heavy with emotion.

'What where you two doing out there anyway?' asked Fred. The tone of his voice caused the cold knot in Judy's stomach to tie itself tighter.

'We were just talking,' said Charlie, as if explaining himself for the umpteenth time.

'Just talking…' said Fred sceptically. 'Come on, Charlie. I've seen the way you look at her...'

'I look at her as a friend.' Charlie retorted.

'Don't lie to me, Charlie. I swear, if you,-' Fred broke off as his eyes met Judy's. She looked at the both of them, leaning on the banister as her muscles refused to support her anymore.

'Jude,' Charlie moved toward her.

'I've got her,' said Fred quickly, rushing to Judy's side. He put a protective arm around her waist.

'What…' She looked from one to the other as her eyelids threatened to fall shut due to her fatigue. 'What were you…?'

'You really need to rest, Jude,' said Charlie, moving to her free side.

'I'll take her to bed,' said Fred quickly.

'I just want to,-'

'I said, I got her, Charlie!' Fred said heatedly.

'Fine,' he held up his hands in defeat. 'Just…just make sure she gets some rest.'

'Don't worry, I'll look after her,' said Fred as he helped Judy forward. 'I know how to care for *my* mate.' Judy could clearly hear the emphasise in his words. She allowed Fred to support her to Ginny's bedroom, meeting Charlie's eyes as she passed him and seeing nothing but concern in them.

Fred halted to close the door, before leading Judy to her mattress and helping her sit down on it. She shoved back carefully, doing her best to ignore her sore and tired limbs. She leaned back against the wall, her gaze following Fred as he squatted in front of her.

'You'd better lie down and try to get some sleep,' he offered, looking straight into her eyes.

'I will in a moment,' said Judy truthfully. 'You're going to tell me what happened between you and Charlie first.'

'What? Jude, there's nothing,-'

'Fred.' Judy looked back at him intently. 'Best mates don't lie to each other.'

He looked at her, thinking. Judy waited patiently for a reply, as she tried to fight off her fatigue for a little longer.

'He likes you, Jude,' Fred said with a hint of frustration.

'So? Unless I'm gravely mistaken you and George like me too…,' Judy offered. The look in his eyes again managed to confuse her. 'I mean, friends usually like each other, don't they?'

'He doesn't think of you as a friend…he doesn't look at you as a friend.' Judy felt uncomfortable as she saw his knuckles tighten on his knees.

'Why are you angry with him, Fred?' she asked cautiously.

'Because he…' he paused as he ran his fingers through his red hair. 'He's much too old for you and he lives way out in Romania…he's just not…he's not good for you.' Judy looked back at Fred, her lips curling up in a smile.

'Whereas you are too good for me,' she said affectionately. 'Listen,' she thought carefully on how to phrase her thoughts. 'I appreciate you looking out for me. I always have. But you can't protect me from everything, Fred. There are some things I need to deal with on my own. And this…I'm sure I can deal with this on my own.'

'I know,' said Fred quickly. 'I'm just…I'm not comfortable with him fancying you.' Judy looked back at him through heavily lidded eyes.

'I can handle it, Fred,' said Judy gently. 'Trust me,' she added in a whisper.

'I trust you, Byrne,' said Fred gently as he moved. He took her arm and helped her lie down on the bed. Judy didn't protest as she felt fatigue take hold of her body and mind. Her eyes fluttered as the back of her head touched her pillow.

'Sleep well,' Fred said as he bent over and kissed her forehead. 'And try not to snore too loudly…' Judy smiled just before fatigue took over and she was drawn into a deep sleep.

&

That night, the excited chatter and concerned questions had all died down. The Burrow was completely silent safe for the steady breathing of its sleeping inhabitants.

Judy, however, was wide awake. She sat on her bed in a lotus position, leaning back against the wall. She stared into the darkness as everything that had happened during the holidays ran through her head. Especially everything concerning her and Charlie.

The doubt she'd felt at the beginning of the holiday, about Charlie's feelings toward her, had completely vanished. With the gift he'd given her, the many glances and smiles he'd cast her and the way he'd talked to her in the orchard there was no doubt in Judy's mind that he felt the same way about her as she did about him. She knew all too well that he too wanted to be more than just friends. And yet…friendship seemed to be all they had shared in the past week.

Judy checked the clock on Ginny's wall and noticed it was nearly three in the morning. In a few hours everybody in the house would rise to prepare everything for the return journey to Hogwarts. A journey which, combined with Charlie's own home journey, would put thousands of miles between her and him. Something which she hadn't put much thought into, before her conversation with Fred that afternoon. Something which had instilled a whole new kind of doubt in her heart…

Judy shoved forward to the rim of her bed and squeezed her mattress as she gathered enough courage to get to her feet and act on the decision she'd made an hour before. Nobody had ever made her feel the way Charlie did and she couldn't leave the Burrow without telling him how she felt. She couldn't go back to school without at least giving what could be between them a proper chance.

Judy silently walked to the door and drew a quiet breath as she took hold of the doorknob. She opened it carefully and paused as she heard Ginny stir in her bed. She waited for Ginny's breathing to regain its sleeping rhythm before opening the door further and stepping into the darkened hallway. Her fear of the dark nearly overtook her and made her grab the doorpost for a moment. She looked over her shoulder at the everlasting candle Lupin had sent her, but quickly decided not to use it since it would only heighten her chances of being caught.

After closing the door, Judy sneaked up several flights of steps, stopping every time she heard a sound. It seemed to take her hours to get to the fifth floor, where Charlie slept in Ron's room. To Judy's surprise the door was ajar and a narrow streak of light fell onto the fifth floor landing.

Judy didn't hear the sound of steady breathing she'd heard in Ginny's room as she approached the opened door. She halted a moment as she reached it, trying to steady her breathing and heartbeat as her nerves threatened to get the better of her. It was the certainty in her heart that gave her the courage to lift up her hand and gently tap the light wooden door.

Charlie was quick to open the door further and appear in front of her, clad in long dark blue linen pants. Judy couldn't refrain from casting a glance at his exposed muscled and tanned chest, before meeting his questioning gaze.

'I need to talk to you,' she said in a whisper as he already moved aside to let her enter.

Judy noticed Ron obviously supported a different Quidditch team than his sister, as his room was completely decked out in the orange hangings of the Chudley Cannons. She turned on her heel as Charlie closed the door. Their eyes met and Judy smiled as she again noticed the look of concern in his eyes.

'You're worried about me,' she said affectionately.

'Well, of course I am,' said Charlie quickly. 'You…you fell and…you were shaking and I just…I couldn't do anything to help you…' he broke off as he ran his fingers through his hair.

'You caught me,' Judy retorted. 'You stayed with me.' She smiled at him. 'You were there for me, Charlie. You did all you could do.'

'I know, I just wish…' Charlie's voice failed him as he looked at her again, even more worried than before. 'Judy, what happened to you was it my….was it my fault?'

'No, it wasn't your fault,' said Judy reassuringly. 'And you really did all you could.'

'Then what…' he looked at her, uncertain whether he had the right to ask the question or not. There was no doubt in Judy's mind, however, about his right to know the truth.

'I had a vision,' Judy explained, as she kept her eyes on him. 'I've been having them for some months now.'

'You're a Seeer,' said Charlie in understanding.

'Yes,' she said relieved as she noticed no tone of disapproval or rejection in his voice.

'And whenever you See, you…' he looked at her, his concern growing by the second.

'The reason why I reacted so badly to it, is because my *gift* only recently emerged and…and I've been trying to resist it ever since.' She paused. 'This vision was the first I let happen in months. My body and mind just need some time to get used to them.'

Charlie looked at her, thinking, and waited a few moments before he spoke hesitantly: 'And what you saw…I mean, it happened when I touched you…'

'I didn't see anything about you or us,' said Judy truthfully. 'Because my Sight has emerged relatively late, it is developing differently than it usually would. I can only see things of the past,' she added as an explanation.

'And your reactions to your visions…they will become better?' asked Charlie hopefully.

'Yes,' said Judy with a smile. 'In time they will.'

'Good,' Charlie smiled at her. 'Because I don't think I can bear seeing you like that again…' Judy's heart warmed as he once again showed how much he cared for her.

'Listen,' Charlie said as he moved closer to her. 'I'm glad you're here. I've been up half the night , wanting to see you and talk to you. I would have come down if I didn't have to worry about my Mum killing me if she'd find me in your bedroom.' Judy chuckled.

'I think my uncle would do even worse things to you if he found out about us, alone, in our pyjamas…'

'Oh, that's very reassuring, thanks,' said Charlie sarcastically as Judy's smile faded.

She sighed. 'This is not going to be easy, Charlie.'

'I know,' he took her hand and led her to the bed, pulling her down with him as he sat.

'Listen Jude,' he started hesitantly. 'I'm not very good with words, but…I've been thinking about you ever since I met you this past summer.' She smiled at him. 'And I don't know what spell you cast on me, but every time I see you my heart skips a beat.' He paused as if choosing his next words carefully. 'I don't know what it is you do to me, but I know I have never felt like this about anybody before. There's something here and…and I think it's more than friendship…' Charlie hesitated as their eyes met.

'I do too,' said Judy, still smiling back at him.

'And I don't know about you,' said Charlie, looking a little more confident than before. 'But, I can't go back to Romania pretending that what I feel for you is nothing more than just friendship…'

'I can't either,' said Judy honestly.

'Good,' said Charlie with a smile. 'Because I think we've got something special here and I can't let you walk away without giving it a proper chance.'

'I can't either,' agreed Judy. 'But…how are we going to do this?' she asked. 'I mean, you live in Romania and I live here. We won't see each other for Merlin knows how long…and I don't even want to think about how your parents and my uncle will react when they find out…'

'We won't tell them,' Charlie was quick to respond. 'Not for the time being anyway. I mean, this is about us and not about them. If we can make this work then by the time we'll tell them they'll have no choice but to accept it.' Judy nodded, ignoring the pain in her stomach about adding another part of her life to her list of secrets.

'What about Fred and George?'

'I don't think it's right to ask them to lie to my parents,' said Charlie honestly. 'I'm sorry Jude. I know they're your best mates.'

'They are…but you're right. We can't ask them to lie for us.' said Judy with a hint of regret. Charlie cast her a small smile.

'And about the distance...I know that won't be easy,' Charlie agreed. 'But we can owl each other as much as we want. May be even Floo each other if we get a chance…I know it's not ideal but…'

'It's a lot better than not giving it a chance at all,' finished Judy with a smile. Charlie took both her hands in his and smiled back at her.

'I really think we can do this, Jude,' he said warmly. 'I really want to try to make this work.'

'Me too,' said Judy. 'I just wish…I wish we had the guts to tell this to each other a week ago…' she added amused.

'Yes. We definitely need to work on our timing,' agreed Charlie with a grin.

'May be…' Judy hesitated as their eyes locked. 'May be…'

'Now would be a good time to start?' offered Charlie as he leaned in.

Judy closed her eyes as Charlie's lips captured hers in a loving kiss. She draped her arms around his neck as he put his protectively around her waist.

At that moment, as the two of them sat kissing on Ron's bed, Judy couldn't care less about the miles that were about to separate them, nor about Lupin's and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's reactions to the two of them. All she cared about was the man kissing her, the bond they now shared and how she wished he would kiss and hold her forever.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note: **Hello everybody. Again my thanks to all who have read and commented on this story. As always I am eager to hear what you think of the following chapter. Feedback and constructive criticism is, as always, very much appreciated!

**Chapter 14**

**A New Start**

With the holidays coming and going in a flash, Judy and the other students returned to Hogwarts on the Saturday before the start of term. The castle looked like one from a Muggle fairytale, with a thick layer of snow still covering its grounds. The Great Lake was covered in a layer of ice, with open patches where the giant squid had broken the surface with its tentacles.

The Entrance Hall was as crowded as it had been at the start of the school year, with students meeting up and talking excitedly about their presents. Judy and the twins put down their trunks at the end of a long line of luggage. She was unable to suppress a yawn as she shoved her trunk against the wall; she and Charlie had spent so much time talking the night before that Judy barely made it back to bed in time for Mrs. Weasley to wake her up. She'd intended to catch up on her lack of sleep during the train ride, but when she and the twins had discovered that Willow wasn't on the train, she'd been too worried about her friend to get any sleep.

'Do you see her?' George asked concerned as he scanned the Entrance Hall.

'She probably just missed the train,' said Fred lightly, though his eyes showed a hint of concern as well.

'Well, knowing Willow she's bound to pop up sooner or later,' said Judy, hiding her worries as she slipped out of her coat. The Entrance Hall was ten times warmer than the outside air, due to all the students crammed into it.

'I'd still feel happier if she were here,' said George honestly.

'GEORGE!' The exclamation was followed by a mass of red hair, obscuring George from view. Fred grabbed hold of Judy's arm as George spun Willow around and the latter nearly knocked Judy to the floor.

'Thanks,' she said amused as she watched the couple in front of her.

'Oy, there are underage witches and wizards here!' said Fred as Willow and George shared a long kiss.

'Oh, you're just jealous,' said Willow as she pulled back. 'I bet if you two would try some snogging,-'

'So, why weren't you on the train?' said Judy quickly, sensing Fred tense beside her.

'Snape,' said Willow with more disgust than Judy had ever heard her say the name before. 'The bloody idiot decided to write my parents while we were on holiday, to inform them that I screwed up my last essay…'

'He what?!' asked Judy in disbelief.

'That git keeps getting crazier with age…' said Fred in a disapproving tone.

'What did your parents say about it?' asked George interested.

'Well, my dad agreed with me that Snape finally lost his bloody mind…my mum on the other hand wasn't pleased at all and we ended up breaking off our holiday so I could come back early and work on an alternative assignment for Potions.'

'You're joking!' said Judy, still in disbelief.

'Wish I were,' said Willow truthfully. 'I've spent the past three days in the library, writing an essay about Amortentia and its 'ridiculous uses over the ages',' she quoted, impersonating Snape's silky voice. 'Do you have any idea how many witches and wizards have used love potions in the past decades? Let alone the past centuries?!'

'Oh Will, I'm sorry about your holiday,' said Judy truthfully. 'If there's anything I can do to help…'

'Thanks, but I already finished the essay this morning,' said Willow. 'It's just…you know, I never expected him to go this far…it's like he really has it in for me for some reason…'

'What?!' asked Fred, taken aback. 'Are you telling me that you give a rat's ass about what Snape thinks about you?'

'I think you've been cooped up in that library on your own for far too long,' said George as he slipped his arm around her waist. 'Come on, we're going to have an excellent meal and then we'll take a stroll to talk.' He said, already moving toward the Great Hall.

'Jude?' asked Willow, looking over her shoulder.

'I'll be right there,' she said as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.

'Fred!' Lee Jordan walked up to Fred and Judy. Little flakes of snow and small droplets of water had settled in his dreadlocks, making it look as if he wore glitters in his hair. Fred quickly hid his smile behind his hand but Lee had already noticed. 'Yes, I know,' he said annoyed. 'Angelina has already pointed it out to me three times since we arrived…I just can't think of the right spell to,-'

Judy cast a Drought charm at his dreadlocks, before Lee had the time to finish his sentence. The snowflakes and droplets of water disappeared in less than a second.

'Ah,' said Lee, feeling his hair. 'Thanks, Byrne.'

'Don't mention it,' said Judy, putting her wand back in her robes. She quickly hid her mouth from view as another yawn broke through.

'How about we go in?' said Fred to Lee as his stomach rumbled. 'I'm starving.'

'Sounds like a plan, Weasley,' offered Lee as the two of them headed for the Great Hall. Fred had only taken a few steps when he turned on his heel to see Judy still standing by the trunks.

'Do I need to carry you inside?' he asked amused.

'No.' Judy smiled at him. 'I'm tired. I think I'll just head up to bed.'

'OK,' said Fred. 'I'll see you tomorrow then.'

'Yes, see you tomorrow,' said Judy giving him a short wave as Lee pulled him along to the Great Hall.

Judy walked through the now nearly deserted Entrance Hall and ascended the marble staircase. She trailed the banister with her fingers, looking at the moving paintings beside her. As she ascended the staircase alone, it didn't take her thoughts long to wander to the night before. She bit her lip as she thought on the man that had kissed her. She smiled as she realised that Charlie Weasley wasn't just Fred and George's brother anymore…he was her boyfriend.

Judy slid her hand into her back pocket and squeezed the piece of paper in it, as if reassuring herself that she wasn't dreaming. Charlie had slipped her the note that morning, having forgotten about it the night before. It carried his address in Romania so she would be able to write him whenever she wished. Judy smiled as she remembered how Bill had distracted a very perceptive Percy from the exchange, by reminding him that he expected his younger brother to do at least as well on his NEWTs as Bill himself, if not better.

The fifth floor corridor was as deserted as the marble staircase had been. Safe for the conversing portraits, there was no sound to be heard. Judy ascended the tightly winding spiral staircase which led up to the entrance of Ravenclaw tower. The bronze knocker, shaped like an eagle, opened its beak as Judy halted in front of the tower's entrance door.

'How do you distinguish unicorn blood from that of other animals?'

'While usually animal blood is red, unicorn blood is silver-blue and it shines under the moonlight,' said Judy without thinking.

The doorway swung open and Judy stepped into the wide circular room. It looked even more magical than usual with the moonlight being the only source of light. The stars adorning the midnight-blue carpet and domed ceiling, really seemed to glow as they reflected the pearly white light. The white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw shone brightly, making it stand out against the blue background. Judy took a long look around the room, savouring the entire scene. She was just about to head to her dormitory when she heard a soft sob.

The dark haired Ravenclaw walked carefully around the blue comfy chair. 'Are you all right?' she asked gently.

'What? Who?' Judy stopped as she stood face to face with the crying girl. Red tangled curls framed the other girl's pale face. She looked at Judy with widened eyes.

'Abigail?' Judy asked, surprised.

'What are you doing here?' Abigail snapped. 'Come to have a laugh, have you?' She quickly rubbed the tears from her eyes, smudging her mascara more than it already had been.

'What? No,' said Judy quickly. 'Abigail, what's wrong?' she asked gently as she sat down on the sofa.

'None of your bloody business, all right?' Abigail said heatedly as she kept her eyes on the fireplace. Judy looked at her room mate in silence, unable to find the right words to say. Admittedly, she and Abigail had never been the best of friends, but they had never been enemies either. Judy hated to see her room mate as sad as she was now.

'OK…' said Judy, already getting to her feet. 'But if you change your mind and you want to talk about it, you know where to find me…' She waited a moment, but as Abigail didn't respond she turned on her heel and headed to her dormitory. She had already crossed half the room when Abigail spoke.

'Have you ever felt like…like you don't belong anywhere…?' asked Abigail in a whisper. 'I mean, like…not even in your own family?'

Judy walked back to her room mate and sat down on the sofa as her eyes met Abigail's. 'Sometimes,' said Judy truthfully, thinking on the many times she'd missed her parents; the many times she'd missed being part of a real family. 'Why do you ask?'

'Because I…well, you know my parents are purebloods, right?' Judy nodded. 'Well, I already knew they weren't pleased with me being sorted into Ravenclaw. But now that my brother Kenneth is in Slytherin they…' Abigail brushed away a fresh tear from her cheek. 'It feels like I don't even matter to them anymore. It's like Kenneth is the only one they care about...'

'Why do you think that?' asked Judy gently.

'Just the way they act toward us…I mean, the entire holiday it was Kenneth this, Kenneth that…my father said he was so proud of Kenneth…he said he was glad that Kenneth didn't turn out to be such a disappointment as I did.'

'He said that?!' asked Judy, taken aback.

'I heard him say it to my mother,' said Abigail, hoarsely. 'But I…I asked the Sorting Hat to put me in Slytherin…I mean, I can't help that it sorted me into Ravenclaw…I never wanted to be in this stupid House!' she said as she broke down in tears.

'Oh, Abigail,' said Judy as she squatted next to her and put her hand on the other girl's shoulder. 'You…this…' she said, trying to search for the right words. 'Listen, I don't know why the Sorting Hat put you in Ravenclaw, but it must have had a good reason.'

'Yes? Well, I don't see it…' said Abigail bitterly.

'Well, I do,' said Judy gently. 'You're very intelligent and motivated to do your utmost in classes. I mean, even if you do things your own way, you're really not that different from the rest of us, Abigail…' The other girl made a face as Judy spoke. 'Well, you're not,' said Judy with a smile.

'I am nothing like Willow,' retorted Abigail.

'All right, you're nothing like Willow,' said Judy amused. Abigail's lips curled up in a satisfied smile. 'Feeling a bit better?'

'A bit,' said Abigail.

'Listen, it must be awful to hear your father say what he said, and I know it's not the same but…just remember none of us think you're a disappointment,' said Judy honestly. 'Not even Willow.'

'Thank you, Judy.'

'You're welcome,' said Judy, squeezing her shoulder gently. The two of them yawned, nearly simultaneously. 'Now, how about we get this rubbish off our faces and go to sleep? I think we're both exhausted from our holiday…'

'Yes, my eyes are falling shut,' agreed Abigail as she got to her feet. Judy waited for her to pass before following in her room mate's wake. 'Hey Judy,' asked Abigail as they ascended the stairs leading to their dormitory.

'Yes?' asked Judy, as she concentrated on picking up her feet.

'How come you're exhausted?'

'Oh…that's a long story…' said Judy with a broad smile as they entered the dormitory. 'I'll tell you some other time.'

'I suppose you'd better. I'd probably doze off anyway.' Abigail yawned as she took her pyjamas from her trunk.

'Yes, me too,' agreed Judy as she walked around her bed. She stopped dead as she saw the orange and blue striped cushion on the floor. 'That's odd…'

'What is?' asked Abigail interested.

'I expected Duncan to be here,' answered Judy.

'He's probably off chasing mice,' said Abigail reassuringly. 'He'll show up sooner or later.'

'Yes, I suppose he will.' Judy looked at the cushion for another moment, unable to suppress a feeling of unease creeping up her spine. She shook it off quickly and started searching for her pyjamas. She wasn't about to start this term with the same feeling of dread she'd felt the previous months. Duncan would show up, she thought firmly. He always did.

&

The first day back for the sixth year Ravenclaw students existed not only of handing in the assignments which had been set for them before the holidays, but also starting on several new ones. By the time Judy returned to the common room that evening, she already new she'd be spending most of her upcoming evenings on writing essays and reading chapters. She couldn't say she minded though; the events of the past holiday had given her a whole new kind of energy and she was looking forward to spending her time amongst her books again. Even the lack of energy she experienced due to her vision a few days before, seemed to be replenished by the bond she shared with a man who lived thousands of miles away.

'What are you smiling about?' asked Willow curiously, eyeing Judy over her Divination book. 'History of Magic can't be that amusing…'

'No?' asked Aidan, who casually leaned back on the hind legs of his chair. 'Binns floated right through Eric Marshall today. He looked like he was going to faint…' Aidan laughed. 'And I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave…'

'I seem to remember you throwing up in the Entrance Hall when Peeves floated through you last year…' offered Shania amused.

'That was two years ago,' retorted Aidan. 'And Peeves set off a Dungbomb on me…I'd like to see how well you hold in your lunch when someone sets off a Dungbomb right in front of you…'

'If you don't mind, I'm trying to do my homework here…' said Abigail annoyed as she dipped her quill in her ink bottle.

'I can't believe we've only been back a day and we've already got a pile of homework to work our way through,' said Willow, as she browsed through the pages of her book. 'Trelawney's even set us three chapters…not to mention Snape with his stupid essay…how on earth are we supposed to write three rolls of parchment on Wolfsbane potion? I mean, it's been developed so recently there aren't even any books written about it…'

'Damocles Belby wrote a few articles about it in _Concoctions of the mind_,' said Judy. 'I think it was in last year's February and April issue. There's a bit in there about the ingredients, brewing time and…' her voice trailed as she noticed the others were looking at her.

'How come you know so much about Wolfsbane potion?' asked Aidan interested.

'What?' asked Judy, slightly alarmed. 'I'm sure Chelsea knows about it as well…' she offered quickly, gesturing at her room mate who shared the sofa with Connor.

'Perhaps, but,-'

'Oh, who cares how she knows Aidan,' Shania interrupted him. 'The important thing is she's saved us time searching, which means we can talk about more pressing matters…'

'Such as…?' asked Aidan, a bit agitated.

'Quidditch!' said Shania excitedly as she shoved away her books and laid down a piece of parchment in front of her. 'Now, we're playing Slytherin this weekend, and I'm sure you will all agree that we can't go out supporting our House without a proper yell.'

'Oh, for goodness sake…' said Abigail as she gathered her books. 'You lot really need to sort out your priorities…'

'Oh yeah? Well you…' Willow's voice trailed as Judy grabbed her arm.

'Let her, Will,' she said as Abigail walked away from them and headed up to the girls' dormitory. Judy couldn't help but smile as she realised her room mate had just proven that she was the most typical Ravenclaw in their year.

'So, any suggestions?' asked Shania excitedly.

'You know, it's times like this when I wish Tonks were here,' said Willow truthfully. 'She could always think of the perfect yell, even if she wasn't in Ravenclaw.'

'Well, she's not here now and I could really use a hand,' said Shania, a hint of desperation in her voice.

'Let me see what you got,' offered Aidan. 'I promise I won't laugh,' he said as Shania was reluctant to show him the parchment. 'I want our House to win as much as you do.'

Judy turned on her seat and scanned the room and its inhabitants for any inspiration for a Quidditch yell. She agreed with Willow that she wished Tonks were there, because she'd always been a genius with words. Judy's contribution to their reputation on the pitch was only being able to yell the hardest. She smiled as she remembered how relieved she'd been that Charlie didn't remember the volume of her voice in the stadium.

'Oh, I've been meaning to tell you, I saw Duncan on the grounds today,' said Willow, pulling Judy away from her train of thoughts. 'He seemed to be heading for the Forbidden Forest.'

'The Forest?' asked Judy confused. 'I thought after all these years he'd know better than to go in there…'

'Apparently not, but I'm sure he'll be all right,' added Willow reassuringly.

'I know, I just wish he'd been roaming the castle for mice,' said Judy truthfully.

'It's weird though that he hasn't been in our dormitory yet,' said Willow. 'He always comes to greet you when you've been away.'

'Yes, I know…' said Judy, as Willow confirmed her own thoughts. She swallowed as a small knot slowly tied itself in her stomach.

'Hey, would you two mind chipping in a bit?' said Aidan a little annoyed.

'Yes…' said Judy absently. 'What do you guys have?' she asked as she took the parchment from Aidan and looked at the letters without registering any of the words.

&

Icy sheets of rain lashed violently against the glass panes of the greenhouses that next morning. Judy wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck and slipped her hands into woollen mints before picking up her stuffed schoolbag. Willow looked so depressed Judy thought she wouldn't be able to find the courage to go outside.

'I suppose the best way would be to make a run for it?' offered Aidan, who had covered half of his face with his scarf.

'Yes, the sooner we get inside, the better,' agreed Connor. He took Chelsea's hand and pulled her to the door.

'All right then, one, two,-'

'Oh, for Merlin's sake just run,' said Willow, who had apparently decided to take the lead as she broke into a run toward the castle.

They reached the Entrance Hall, as soaked as they'd reached the greenhouses an hour before. Judy was quick to cast Drought charms on her House mates. She was also the one to lead the group as they headed to the first floor corridor. Their next class was Defence against the Dark Arts and since Judy hadn't seen Lupin since before the holidays, she couldn't wait to see her uncle again.

'Did you miss him?' Willow asked under her breath as she joined Judy, who walked a few meters ahead of the rest.

'Will!' Judy said warningly.

'Oh come on,' said Willow amused. 'If they overhear us, they'll just think you have a crush on him…'

'And why are you saying that like it's a good thing?' Judy arched a brow at her best friend.

'Come on girls, don't want to be late in class,' Aidan remarked smugly as he overtook them and entered the DADA classroom. Willow scowled at him and Judy laughed as they entered the classroom.

'You shouldn't encourage him, Jude,' said Shania as she passed the two girls.

'Why not?' Judy asked. 'I think he's funny.'

'He's an egocentric, selfish guy who's full of himself and can't talk to a girl without flirting with her,' said Willow disapprovingly. 'I really can't see what you like about him.'

'Oh, I don't know,' said Judy as they took their seats and searched for their books. 'I guess he just reminds me of someone,' she said in a whisper.

'What was that?' asked Willow.

'Good afternoon, class.' They all turned in their seats as Lupin closed the entrance door. 'I hope you all have had enough rest during the holidays, because we've got a busy lesson ahead of us today.' He said as he walked to the front of the class.

'Good, because we haven't got enough homework as it is…' Aidan remarked sarcastically.

'Well, I am glad to hear that you are eager to get started, Mr. Kieran,' said Lupin, pretending not to have heard the sarcastic tone. 'Now, before you open your books, Professor Flitwick has asked me to hand out these,' said Lupin as he took several sheets of paper from his desk. 'They're your evaluation appointments.'

'Our what?' asked Shania, quickly raising her hand after she'd already spoken.

'Your evaluation appointments,' repeated Lupin as he handed out the sheets of paper. 'As you all know your Head of House is very much involved with your progress in school, especially now that you all are on your way to attain your NEWTs. So sixth and seventh year Ravenclaws have an evaluation appointment with their Head of House in the second week of March to evaluate their grades and their progress since the start of the school year.'

'Great, I wonder who will have the worst achievements…' said Aidan.

'I suppose it will be the one who has put the least effort into his tuition,' offered Abigail snidely.

'That will do, Abigail,' said Lupin as he handed her the last sheet of paper. 'Well, now that that is out of the way, we'll start with today's lesson. Please open your books at chapter 15. Ms. Keenan, if you would be so kind to read the first paragraph.'

'Do you think Aidan will be OK?' asked Judy under her breath as she and Willow pretended to read what Chelsea was reading out loud.

'Well, if he's not it's his own fault,' whispered Shania over her shoulder.

'Honestly Jude,' said Willow. 'Why do you care?'

'Because he's my friend, Will,' retorted Judy as if explaining something to a four year old. 'I care because he's my friend.'

'Ms. Byrne,' said Lupin sternly, making Judy startle. 'Would you mind repeating the sentences Ms. Keenan just read?'

'Ehm I'm…I'm sorry, sir. I don't know what she read, I wasn't paying attention.'

'I see,' said Lupin in the same stern tone as before. 'Well, perhaps you will pay better attention in detention next Thursday eve at seven o' clock.'

'What?!' Judy blurted out, before she could stop herself. 'But I only…'

'Detention, Ms. Byrne,' Lupin cut her off. 'And I will be happy to add an extra hour to it if you speak out of turn again.'

'Yes, sir,' said Judy, feeling utterly confused. Lupin had never before been this strict in class, let alone about something minor as this.

'Good. Ms. Keenan, please proceed,' said Lupin, ignoring the several confused looks the students cast each other.

'What did you do to piss him off?' whispered Willow urgently.

'Not a clue,' whispered Judy back as she looked back at her textbook.

&

Judy left Ravenclaw tower at a quarter to seven that Thursday evening. There were only a few students walking up the staircase as most of them had returned to their common room for the evening. Judy hardly noticed them; her mind was too taken up by what lay before her. She couldn't think of a moment when Lupin's detention had not been on her mind. Not to mention what in the name of magic she'd done to deserve it.

The second floor corridor seemed to be deserted as Judy entered it, her mind still too taken up to notice anything around her.

'Well, well, well…' the cold drawling voice seemed to grab Judy by both her arms and pull her away from her daydreams. She instinctively froze as slow, sinister steps closed in on her. Judy took a deep breath before turning on her heel and facing her Potions master as confidently as she could. 'You wouldn't be heading to Professor Lupin's office, now would you?'

'Actually sir, I am, you see…'

'Tsk, tsk…' said Snape, a hint of malice in his eyes. 'I wonder what the Headmaster will say, when he finds out Lupin has been giving you secret lessons to outdo your fellow DADA students.'

'But sir, you don't understand,' pleaded Judy.

'I believe, I understand completely what you and Lupin have been up to.' Snape held up his hand as Judy tried to protest again. 'Now, you will listen to me Ms. Byrne and you will listen to me good. You are to head straight for your dormitory where you will wait for the Headmaster's judgment on this favouritism of your…uncle…' Snape seemed to choke on the word. 'I am sure that Professor Dumbledore will agree with me that this,-'

'Severus?' Lupin's gentle voice instantly calmed Judy's nerves.

'Lupin,' Snape said loathingly.

'Might I ask why you are keeping Judy from her detention?' asked Lupin kindly.

'Detention,' said Snape, amused. 'That is what you call it?'

'Yes,' said Lupin, looking a little confused as he walked up to them. Judy quickly moved aside for the two men to face each other directly. 'Do you have a different name for it, if a student misbehaves in class and you ask them to come to your office for some extra assignments?'

'Honestly Lupin, do you really think I am that naïve?' Snape asked, his lips still curled up in a malicious smile.

'Naïve, Severus?' asked Lupin. 'I don't think I understand,-'

'Oh come on, Lupin,' said Snape agitated. 'You've been helping her with her assignments during the holidays, to help her compensate for her appalling achievements in the past few months.'

'Well Severus, as much as I like to see Judy get good grades, I do not think it is suitable for me, as a teacher, to help her with her homework in any course,' said Lupin seriously. 'Besides, Judy spent the holidays with the Weasleys while I stayed here at the castle. I hadn't seen her for 2 weeks until this Tuesday. So, I'm afraid…'

'I don't believe you,' said Snape, his dark eyes smouldering with anger. Judy moved behind Lupin as discretely as possible.

'I am telling you the truth, whether you believe it or not is up to you,' said Lupin, staying utterly calm.

'You cannot protect her forever,' said Snape tensely. 'I am going to report this to Dumbledore.'

'Be my guest,' said Lupin kindly. 'Now, if you will excuse us. Judy has plenty of work to do.' He took her shoulder as he turned and gently urged her forward.

Judy didn't look back as she walked straight to Lupin's office. Compared to her last visit the room seemed to be filled with even more magical creatures and objects she'd never seen before.

'Well, that was an interesting conversation…' said Lupin as he closed the office door. 'Please take a seat, Jude.' She did as she was told, but couldn't help but look at Lupin confused as he walked around her and sat down at the opposite side of his desk. 'Is something the matter?'

'You're not upset with me?' asked Judy carefully.

'Why on earth would I be upset with you?' asked Lupin amused.

'Well, I don't know,' said Judy defensively. 'But you seemed to be upset about something in class…'

'Would you rather I'd asked you kindly to come by and have a cup of tea with me?' asked Lupin with a small smile. 'I thought this way would be less suspicious, don't you agree?' He asked as he took two teacups from his drawer and put them down in front of them.

'Don't I…? What…? Yes…' Judy stammered as Lupin laughed lightly. 'I just…Do you know, I've been worrying for two days about what in Merlin's name I did wrong?'

'I'm sorry, sweetheart,' said Lupin amused. 'But I had to find a way to speak to you without rising suspicion…'

'Judging how Snape just reacted, I don't think you succeeded,' offered Judy as Lupin tapped the teapot. Steam rose from the pot as Lupin lifted the lid and put in a teabag.

'Why does he dislike you so much, Remus?' Lupin looked at her with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

'He's head of Slytherin house…you know how he feels about half-breeds…' he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

'He doesn't like you because you're a were,-' Judy broke off as Lupin looked at her warningly. 'Sorry,' she said quickly. 'I just…when he looked at you…it was like he loathed you, not so much because of what you are but more as if…as if it's personal.'

Lupin looked at Judy for a moment, before his lips curled up in a small smile. 'I sometimes forget how perceptive you are,' he said as he poured the tea in her cup and handed it to her.

Judy took it, without unlocking their eyes. 'So…I am right?'

Lupin leaned back in his chair, his eyes still locked with hers as his lips remained in that small smile. 'Very perceptive…'

'Remus,-' he held up his hand to silence her.

'You know I cannot answer that question…even if I wanted to,' he added, amused by the disappointed look in her eyes. 'Tell me, how was your holiday?'

'It was great,' said Judy truthfully. 'Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were very kind and I had a great time with Ginny and Fred and George and Bill and…Percy,' she concluded quickly. She couldn't help but smile as she thought on the Weasley she hadn't mentioned.

'What about your visions?' asked Lupin carefully.

'I had one last Saturday…the entire Weasley family was there when I came to…' Judy smiled as she thought back on the kindness the family had shown her over the holidays.

'I'm glad you weren't alone,' said Lupin truthfully.

'Yes, me too,' said Judy before sipping her tea.

'Do you mind telling me what you saw?' asked Lupin, again in a careful tone.

'I saw the evening you introduced dad to mum,' said Judy, smiling as she thought back on the vision. 'Mum had a vision about the two of them when Sirius shook her hand.'

'Ah yes…I remember,' Lupin smiled. 'Your mother really turned him around…' Judy eyed Lupin as his smile slowly faded. She knew he was thinking of Sirius…of what he'd done…of how he'd changed…

'Did you want to see me because of him?' asked Judy as she put down her teacup. She did her utmost to ignore the pain in her stomach as she already read the answer in Lupin's eyes.

'Yes…but first, I need to give you something,' he said, as he opened his drawer. He took out two presents and put them on his desk. 'The blue bundle with the red ribbon is from your aunt Andromeda and uncle Ted. The purple box is from Dora. She thought it safer to drop it all off here than to send it to you.'

'Dora was here?' asked Judy interested as she took the blue bundle first.

'Yes…' said Lupin, evading her gaze as he took another sip from his tea. Judy did her utmost to hide her smile as she unwrapped her gift. She took out a short purple dress. 'Dora helped your aunt pick it out.'

'It's beautiful,' said Judy, looking it over before laying it down on the desk. She took the purple box, only now noticing the card tied to one end of the ribbon. Judy opened it and scanned the familiar round letters.

* * *

_Dear Jude,_

_I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with the Weasleys. I'm sorry you had to spend the holidays away from Remus, I know how much he means to you. Even if his decision may have seemed cruel to you at first, remember that he always has your best interest at heart and that he thought sending you away was the best option to keep you safe. We all want to keep you safe…I hope that, with the previous in mind, you'll understand my reaction to your confession when we last saw each other. I was worried about you, Jude. I still am. But even though I do not regret my reaction, I want to apologize to you. I should have realised how much courage it took you to be as open with me as you were. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I betrayed you or your trust in me. I hope you still feel like you can tell me everything, because you can trust me, Jude. No matter what you tell me, I will NEVER betray your trust._

_In closing, I hope you like the presents we bought for you. I know you'll love mine…_

_Love, always_

_Dora_

_P.S. See you at Easter!_

* * *

'I'm going to Dora's for Easter?' asked Judy as she looked up from the card.

'You're going to your aunt and uncle's,' Lupin corrected her. 'Dora will be staying with them too.'

'That's great,' said Judy honestly as she met Lupin's smile with one of her own. She took the box on her lap and untied the ribbon. As she opened the lids of the box she noticed a picture frame inside, with the back facing toward her. She took it out carefully and turned it with the framed picture toward her. The surge of emotion constricting her throat took her completely by surprise.

Sirius Black and Briana Byrne stood next to each other, their fingers interlaced as they looked back at her. Briana wore two herringbone braids tied together at the back of her head, with the remainder of her long dark hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Her long dark red ball gown consisted of a red polka dotted sheer lace bodice with a skirt consisting of several layers of fabric hidden under a veil of black tulle. Sirius wore black dress robes. His bow tie was the same colour as Briana's dress. His dark hair framed his handsome features so perfectly, he looked like some kind of dark angel. The mischievous look in his eyes and his boyish smile didn't hide the fact that he was approaching adulthood. Judy estimated her parents to be 17 or 18 years old; barely older than she herself was now.

'When was this taken?' she asked hoarsely, unable to withdraw her eyes from the picture.

'In our seventh year, at our NEWT ball,' said Lupin, looking at her affectionately.

'How did Dora get it?'

'Your aunt Andromeda has a few photo albums of your parents,' explained Lupin. 'I gave them to her years ago. I thought it safer to keep them far away from you in case…in case anybody ever came looking for you.'

'They look so happy,' said Judy, looking back at her parents with a mingle of joy and sadness. She looked up at Lupin as she spoke. 'But…wasn't mum already pregnant when this was taken?'

'Yes, she was,' said Lupin truthfully.

'But how…'

'A very complex Disillusionment Charm,' explained Lupin. 'Dumbledore taught it to your mother so she could perform it herself when her pregnancy started to show. With the first war looming on the horizon, your parents knew immediately that the best way to protect you from Voldemort and his followers was to keep your existence a secret.'

'That must not have been easy,' said Judy.

'No, it wasn't,' confirmed Lupin. 'But it was the right choice at the time. Doing what is right is seldom easy.'

'Yes…' Judy sighed as she looked at the picture. 'I can't keep this, Remus,' she said with a hint of regret. 'If one of my room mates sees this on my nightstand…'

'Put it down on my desk,' said Lupin gently. Judy met his eyes for a moment before complying. She put the picture frame on Lupin's desk and almost gaped as the picture faded and a picture of her holding Duncan appeared in the frame. 'Dora put a spell on it so you are the only one who sees the real picture. Your parents only appear in the frame when you hold it.' Judy couldn't help but smile.

'She's brilliant.'

'Yes…yes, she is,' Lupin agreed. He cleared his throat as he noticed Judy's eyes on him. 'So, now that you have unpacked your gifts, there's the other matter I wanted to talk to you about.' Judy's smile quickly faded.

'Has he been sighted again?' she asked carefully.

'No…' Lupin eyed her for a moment. 'He sent Harry a Christmas gift, a Firebolt.' Judy didn't speak as she looked back at him; too surprised by what Lupin had told her. 'Has he…'

'No,' said Judy quickly. 'He didn't send me anything.'

'Good,' said Lupin, sounding relieved. 'Judy, if he still does,-'

'I will tell you,' she said truthfully. 'I won't lie to you again, Remus.'

'I'm glad to hear that,' he said gently as he leaned back in his chair. Judy smiled absently as she stared at the teapot in between them, trying to untangle her emotions.

'Is it wrong for me to feel disappointed?' she asked in a whisper.

'No,' said Lupin quietly. 'It's understandable. But if he does send you something…' Lupin paused for a moment. 'Professor McGonagall confiscated Harry's broom and has all of us take a look at it to make sure it hasn't been jinxed or cursed.'

'Poor Harry,' said Judy sympathetically. 'I bet he couldn't wait to fly his new broom and now he has to wait and see if it survives all of your tests and spells…'

'But if it is jinxed,-'

'It isn't jinxed,' said Judy quickly. 'But I understand you all want to make sure the Firebolt is safe before allowing Harry to fly it.'

'I'm glad you understand, because,-' Lupin broke off as his eyes fell on the pendulum on the cabinet behind Judy. 'Oh dear,' he said as he quickly got to his feet. 'I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really have to go. I promised Harry I'd meet him in the History of Magic classroom tonight at eight. He's asked me to teach him how to do a Patronus, because,-'

'Because the Dementors affect him so much,' said Judy as she got up as well. 'I'm glad you're teaching him how to defend himself against those creeps.'

'Talking about Dementors,' said Lupin as he walked around the desk. 'How have you been holding up since that Dementor on the train? I mean, you were at the match too when they came to the Quidditch pitch, weren't you?'

'Yes,' said Judy, doing her utmost not having to feed her uncle lies again. 'I'm doing all right. Dumbledore told me at the beginning of the school year to be careful around them. So I am. I'm staying away from them as far as I can.' She said as she laid out her dress on the desk and put the picture frame on the fabric, before enveloping it within.

'Good,' said Lupin gently. 'I'm glad you're acting so responsibly.'

'Thank you, Professor,' said Judy as he held the door for her.

'I trust you will head straight back to your dormitory,' said Lupin as he locked the door behind them. 'The last thing I need is Snape catching you after hours…'

'I'll head up to the Ravenclaw common room straight away,' said Judy as they walked down the corridor.

'I will be seeing you in class then,' said Lupin as they reached the marble staircase.

'Yes,' said Judy, halting at the end of the corridor. 'Good night, Professor.'

'Good night, Judy.' He cast her one of his kind smiles before turning around and heading down to the first floor.

'Oh, Re…I mean, Professor,' said Judy quickly, making Lupin turn back to her. 'You haven't by chance seen my cat, have you? I haven't seen him all week.'

'No, I haven't. Last time I saw him was around Christmas,' said Lupin. 'He brought me a dead mouse as a Christmas present.'

'Oh, that was very kind of him,' said Judy amused.

'Yes, very kind…' said Lupin sarcastically. 'Like I said I haven't seen him since, but I'm sure he'll turn up soon.'

'Yes,' said Judy, only half-believing Lupin's words. 'I suppose he will.'

'I wouldn't worry about it too much,' said Lupin kindly. 'Good night, Judy.'

'Good night, Professor,' she said with a weak smile.

Judy made her way up the deserted staircase, holding the purple bundle of fabric in front of her as she tried to ignore her concerns about her missing cat. Everybody believed Duncan would turn up unharmed, she only had to convince herself that he would. But no sooner had she pushed aside her worries about Duncan, or her thoughts were taken up by something else…

Her thoughts were, just like before the holidays, completely taken up by her father again. Putting her own disappointment aside, she just couldn't understand how a man, who was supposedly out to kill his godson, would send that same boy a brand new Firebolt; a gift showing just how well Sirius knew Harry. A gift showing Sirius knew exactly how much Harry loved Quidditch and how much he wanted that present. A gift showing just how much Sirius cared for his godson…

'Are you coming in? Or do you want to answer the question yourself?'

Judy blinked at the gentle voice. Luna Lovegood looked back at her with that characteristic dreamy look in her eyes. Her dirty blonde hair hung down her back and was even an inch or so longer than Judy's.

'No, I'm coming,' said Judy, hurrying her pace and taking the door from Luna.

'You were daydreaming, weren't you?' said Luna curiously as they entered the common room. 'It's nice, isn't it? I do it all the time…even at night.'

'Really?' asked Judy amused. 'I haven't tried that yet…'

'Oh, you should,' said Luna excitedly. 'It's much better than just dreaming.'

'Jude!' Shania beckoned her to the round cherry wooden table, where she sat with Abigail and Chelsea.

'I ehm have to go, Luna,' said Judy apologetically. 'Thanks for the advice.'

'You're welcome,' said Luna happily as she skipped to the small spiral staircase.

'What was that all about?' asked Shania as Judy reached her side.

'I'm not sure,' said Judy truthfully.

'I suppose it's always hard to tell with her,' said Shania amused. 'So, how did it go with Lupin?'

'Not too bad,' said Judy, doing her utmost to keep her lips from curling up in a smile. 'I had to write a hundred lines about paying attention in class.'

'That's it?' Abigail arched a brow. 'I thought he'd make you clean out a grindylow tank or something…'

'I guess I just got lucky,' offered Judy with a genuine smile. 'So, what are you three doing?'

'Chelsea and I are trying to do some homework,' said Abigail as she dipped her quill in her ink bottle. 'Shania is doing her utmost to get me and Chelsea a 'P' in Divination…'

'I said you didn't have to help me,' said Shania offended.

'Then stop asking us for advice,' retorted Abigail.

'I don't mind helping her,' said Chelsea gently. 'I don't really understand much about this Inner Eye stuff anyway.'

'Fine, then help her, but leave me out of it,' said Abigail as she hid her face behind her Divination book.

'What about you, Jude?' asked Shania hopefully. 'I really could use your creativity.'

'What do you have so far?' asked Judy as she sat down on one of the chairs.

'Nothing,' offered Shania apologetically. 'I just can't rhyme as well as you can.'

'Me?' asked Judy amused. 'Dora always came up with our yells, I was just there to yell them and unrightfully claim part of the credit.'

'Oh that's just great,' said Shania desperately, as she threw her quill on the table.

'Listen, may be we just have to accept that we can't really do this without Tonks,' offered Judy. 'I mean, it's not like we had such a great yell last year.'

'It was pathetic really…'

'Thank you, Abigail,' said Judy sarcastically.

'May be we can make a banner or something, instead of a yell?' offered Chelsea. 'You sew really well with a wand,' she said gently, as she looked at Shania, who sat with her hands in her hair. Her luxurious curls hid her face from view.

'That's a good idea,' said Judy truthfully. 'You can work wonders with fabric and colours,' she said as she looked at Shania.

'Yes, I suppose,' Shania sighed. 'I just really wanted to come up with a good yell…'

'Yes, well I've always wanted to get an 'E' in Care of Magical Creatures, and we all know how that worked out,' offered Judy as she got to her feet. Shania laughed.

'Do you remember how that unicorn…' she broke off as another wave of laughter overtook her.

'Yes, I remember,' offered Judy as she got to her feet. 'Now, I trust you two can manage without me.'

'Where are you going then?' asked Shania quickly.

'Upstairs,' offered Judy. 'I have to read a few more chapters for Astronomy and then I'm going to sleep.'

'Yes, these first days back have been exhausting, haven't they?' agreed Chelsea. Judy looked at her and for the first time noticed the dark circles under her room mate's eyes.

'Yes, they have,' admitted Judy. 'I'll see you girls later,' she said, before turning and walking away from them. She headed up the spiral stone staircase, smiling as she overheard Shania and Chelsea exchanging ideas. She was glad Chelsea was eager to be involved in something else than curricular activities.

Judy halted as she reached the girl's dormitory. The dorm she shared with the other sixth year girls was filled with darkness. She placed the bundle in her left hand and took out her wand with her right. 'Lumos' she whispered before entering the dorm.

Willow looked up from her book as Judy entered the dormitory. A single candle stood on her nightstand; the only source of light in the entire room.

'Oh, sorry Jude,' said Willow, taking her wand from her pillow and flicking it at several candles, which immediately ignited. 'I didn't know it was you.'

'That's all right,' said Judy, wordlessly undoing her Lumos spell. 'I can't expect you to light the entire room, because I might be coming.' She walked to her bed and laid the bundle of fabric on her blue blanket.

'What's that?' asked Willow interested.

'Present from my uncle,' said Judy as she unfolded the dress and strategically let the picture frame slide out of it onto the bed.

'I didn't know he had such good taste,' said Willow as she got to her feet. She took the dress from Judy's hands to take a closer look at it. Judy took the opportunity to pick up the picture frame and quickly put it down on her nightstand. There was only a flash of the image of her parents, before the picture changed back to herself holding the dark kitten in her arms. 'Oh, you have to let me borrow this.'

'Don't worry I will,' said Judy as Willow handed her the dress back. 'But I'd like to wear it myself first...'

'As long as you hurry,' said Willow as she sat down on her bed again.

'I'll try,' said Judy amused. She walked over to the wardrobe and hung her dress on one of her free coat hangers. 'What are you reading by the way?'

'Potions,' offered Willow with a hint of frustration in her voice. 'I dropped a grade because of that poor essay. I want to try and get it up to an Outstanding again before Easter. I don't want to spend my Easter holidays listening to my mum going on about my grades...'

'But your grades are fine,' offered Judy as she walked to her bed. 'Even if you keep an 'E' this year, you'll have plenty of time to change it into an 'O' before we have to do our NEWTs.'

'I know that, but my mum doesn't...' said Willow. 'And you know Snape won't hesitate to send her another letter about how I have to get an 'O' in all of my courses to become a Healer...'

'Yes, he would do that...you know, I just ran into him on my way to Lupin,' said Judy as she sat down on the bed.

'What did he say?' asked Willow quickly, as always getting herself ready to defend Judy from him if she had to.

'Well, he's convinced Lupin's been helping me with my homework. I guess that means I did rather well on the Potions essay he set us over the holidays.' explained Judy.

'That stupid idiot,' said Willow heatedly. 'He knows how good you've always been at Potions, you don't need Lupin to help you write a good essay.'

'Well, Lupin walked up to us just when Snape wanted to send me back here and he cleared everything up,' said Judy. 'I don't think Snape believed him, though.'

'Well, he wouldn't, would he?' offered Willow. 'He hates Lupin for stealing the DADA job right from under his unusually large nose...'

Judy laughed. 'You know, I hadn't thought of that.'

'You hadn't?' asked Willow confused. 'Why else would he loathe Lupin?'

'I don't know,' said Judy quickly. 'May be because he wasn't in Slytherin?'

'Naah, it's far more personal,' offered Willow as she leaned back against her headboard. 'What did Lupin say by the way? Did he tell you what you did to upset him like that?'

'He wanted to have a talk,' said Judy. 'To catch up. He couldn't figure out a less suspicious way to have me over for a cup of tea...'

Willow laughed. 'Well, he had us all fooled.'

'Yes, yes he did,' said Judy amused as she leaned back against the headboard of her own bed as well.

'Did he give you that picture too?' asked Willow interested as she walked over to Judy's nightstand.

'Yes, he did,' said Judy as Willow took up the picture. It was her faith in Tonk's magic abilities, which withheld her from grasping the picture frame from her best friend's hands.

'When was this taken?'

'Just before I started Hogwarts,' said Judy. 'Lupin gave me Duncan just before I started school. Did he turn up by the way?'

'No,' said Willow as she put back the framed picture. 'Not a sign. Didn't Lupin see him?' Judy shook her head. 'Well, he's probably out hunting mice,' offered Willow. 'He's been gone days at a time before, right?'

'Yes, he has,' said Judy absently. She bit her lip as the knot in her stomach started to tighten.

'He'll turn up, Jude,' said Willow, reading her mind. 'I'm sure he'll...what's that?!'

'What?' Judy awoke from her thoughts. She followed Willow's gaze to the red coral between her fingers; she'd apparently been holding it while thinking about Duncan. 'Oh this...' Judy said casually.

'Yes, that!' said Willow, looking at the coral as if hypnotized. 'Somebody must have given you that for Christmas and don't tell me it's your uncle.'

'No, it wasn't my uncle...' said Judy amused.

'Then who,' Willow's eyes widened. 'Was it Fred? Are you two...?'

'No!' said Judy. 'How many times do I have to tell you? Fred and I are just mates.'

'Well, then who gave it to you?!' asked Willow desperately.

Judy sighed as she took her wand; she'd never intended to keep her bond with Charlie a secret from her best friend. But the fact that that friend was dating Charlie's younger brother, meant that she had to take some necessary precautions. She flicked her wand at the door. 'Muffliato'. Willow looked at her expectantly.

'Listen, Will. I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise me that you won't tell anybody about this.'

'Of course not,' said Willow quickly.

'Especially not George,' said Judy.

Willow looked at Judy for a moment before answering. 'OK. I promise I won't tell anybody. Not even George.'

'OK. Well, remember I told you that I met Charlie Weasley this past summer?'

'Yes,' said Willow, looking a little confused.

'Well, he was at the Burrow too this Christmas,' said Judy slowly. 'He gave me this necklace as a Christmas present and he said he wanted to get to know me better...' Willow's eyes sparkled with excitement. 'We spent some time together in that last week and the night before I came back here...we kissed.'

'You kissed?!' Willow exclaimed. 'Is he...hang on, you kissed Charlie Weasley, Hogwarts' best Seeker in decades, and you didn't tell me until now?!'

'Well, you've been so busy with Potions...'

'Oh rubbish,' said Willow quickly. 'So is he...is he your boyfriend?'

'Yes,' said Judy, smiling. 'Yes, he is.'

'But he's...how old is he?'

'Twenty-one,' said Judy. 'And that's exactly why nobody can know...especially not George.'

'Twenty-one...wicked,' she said with a grin.

'I see you've picked up some of your boyfriend's vocabulary,' said Judy amused.

'Never mind about me,' said Willow dismissively. 'Now, I want to know everything about you and Charlie.'

'But I just told you everything,' retorted Judy.

'You told me everything in a nutshell.' Willow disagreed. 'I want to know *everything*, what you said when you met, his exact words when he gave you your present, how he kisses...'

Judy smiled as Willow presented her list of demands. She leaned over, took a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, opened it and put it down in between the two of them. Willow quickly took out a couple of beans as she looked at Judy expectantly. Judy took the red coral in between her fingers again, rolling it back and forth as she told her best friend about her meeting with Charlie that past summer.

Judy smiled as she told the story, not because of the memories, but because of the waning knot in her stomach which slowly but surely loosened. Even with thousands of miles between them, her bond with Charlie had a protecting effect on her...a protection she knew she would need, as the knot in her stomach waned, but did not completely disappear.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note: **Hi everybody. Again, it's taken me ages to finish a chapter, and again I apologize to all of you. The past eight months have been the busiest of my life, and unfortunately it doesn't look like anything is going to change soon. I'm spending all of my spare moments on writing, but because I have to tie in more and more plotlines it takes me more time to make everything fit than it did in the past chapters. My thanks go out to everybody who has stuck with this story from the beginning and to all of you who have joined me on this journey along the way. Special thanks to all of my reviewers. Like I said before, feedback keeps this story alive. Knowing you enjoy reading this story as much as I do writing it is a real inspiration for me to work on this story :). I hope you all will enjoy this chapter and take the time to review it :).

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**The note**

The Great Hall was filled with students that Saturday morning. Even the students who usually slept in during the weekend sat at the long house tables, enjoying an excellent breakfast. Aidan was one of those students. He sat across from Judy with dark circles under his eyes. His dark shoulder length hair was tied back in a scruffy pony tail, but even his shabby appearance couldn't keep a bunch of fifth year Gryffindor girls from glancing at him every now and then. It was obvious Aidan was still tired, since he was oblivious to the attention he was getting. Judy couldn't help but look at her House mate as she once again saw the resemblance he showed to her father.

Ever since her conversation with Lupin, the thought of Sirius managed to distract Judy nearly as much as it had done before the holidays. By some miracle she was getting her homework done, but often enough she'd find herself staring into nothingness as she thought of the few memories she had of her father. At first she'd thought the man in the wanted posters to be a complete stranger, to be nothing like the father she remembered; seeing him attack the Fat Lady had only contributed to that view. But now that Lupin had told her about Sirius sending his godson a Christmas present…the present Harry wanted most in the whole world…the doubt about her father's innocence had grown stronger than ever before.

'Hey,' Aidan said as he snapped his fingers in front of Judy's eyes. 'I know I'm handsome, but it's not polite to stare.'

'What?' asked Judy confused. 'Sorry, I was just…' She rubbed her forehead as it suddenly throbbed with pain; she'd had more head aches in the past week, as she was still recovering from the vision she'd had over the holidays.

'Are you all right?'

'I'm fine,' lied Judy. 'I'm just nervous about the match.'

'Do you think we're going to win today?' asked Chelsea interested as she poured herself a glass of Pumpkin juice.

'I hope so,' said Willow. 'I can't bear Abigail's smug remarks if Slytherin wins.' She looked over her shoulder at the Slytherin table, where Abigail sat in between Dara Bulstrode and Odelia Pellyn, wearing the green and silver colours of Slytherin house.

'She's only trying to fit in, Willow,' said Judy, before eating her last bit of toast.

'Well, she's trying to fit in with the wrong House,' offered Willow.

'Come on, lay off her,' said Judy, a bit agitated. 'She's had a rough holiday.'

'But,-'

'Willow, please,' said Judy quickly. She didn't feel like having an argument with her head throbbing and the knot in her stomach tightening itself once again.

'Jude, what's wrong?' asked Willow carefully.

'Nothing's wrong,' Judy snapped. Willow looked back at her, offended. 'I'm sorry, I just….I need a breath of fresh air. I'll see you at the match.' Judy didn't wait for an answer as she grabbed her coat, got to her feet and walked toward the Entrance Hall. She put her hand on her stomach as it gave an uncomfortable lurch.

'Oy, gorgeous!' Judy didn't stop as Fred called after her. 'Jude, wait up!'

'Not now, Fred!' Judy called over her shoulder as she slipped into her coat.

'But,-'

'I said not now!' she repeated as she reached the Entrance Hall and headed straight for the grounds.

The cold winter air enveloped Judy as she left the castle behind. She quickly treaded down the stone steps and put her hands in her pockets as she walked on the only free path in the snow.

Judy inhaled the cold air deeply, allowing it to calm the nerves raging through her body. She knew all too well that the strain she felt had nothing to do with the upcoming Quidditch match. Something else entirely was coming and not being able to see the future yet, Judy had only her body to tell her what lay ahead of her.

She walked around the castle, without really having a plan of where she was going. It wasn't long, however, until the Quidditch pitch came into view in front of her, making her stop in her tracks. The House banners rippled violently in the wind. Judy shivered as the cold breeze blew past her and allowed it to steer her view to the place she'd been avoiding for the past several days.

The Forbidden Forest lay silent and dark under the cloudy sky. Judy felt even colder than before as she looked at the darkness of the trees. The strange attraction she'd felt the day she and Willow were looking at the Shrieking Shack, once again pulled her away from where she stood. Her feet moved without her consciously steering them as her eyes remained fixed on the trees.

'No,' Judy whispered as she still walked on. 'Stop…' she said hoarsely as an invincible force continued to steer her feet. 'I said stop!' Judy repeated, this time coming to a halt.

She stared into the darkness of the Forest as a cold trickle went down her spine. She knew exactly what…or better yet who…had such a strong connection with her that it was able to hypnotize her body. Judy closed her eyes as a tear ran down her cheek. She waited a few moments and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again. Her eyes widened as she looked at the dark animal before her.

Duncan sat in between Judy and the Forest as if he'd been there all the time. He slowly got to his feet and took his time as he walked over to Judy. She couldn't do anything but stare as the dark haired cat approached her.

Judy squatted as Duncan reached her side. The cat rubbed his head against her knees affectionately. Judy caressed his dark fur, taking off several plucks of dark rough hair.

'What have you been up to?' Judy asked curiously as she met his nose with her own. She looked into his eyes as she scratched behind his ear and…felt a piece of paper under his dark blue collar. 'What's this…?' Judy asked confused as she slid the paper from under Duncan's collar. She unfolded it and gasped as she read the untidy handwriting.

* * *

_Listen to your heart. Come and find me. I need your help._

_Padfoot._

_

* * *

_

'Dear Merlin,' Judy managed to say as she looked at the wrinkled note. She leaned on her hand as her knees threatened to buckle. Her vision was blurred by the tears in her eyes.

There were a thousand thoughts running through her head as Judy sat there for what seemed to be ages. Sirius knew she was doubting his guilt, he knew she was his only chance of getting help, he knew what she truly believed in her heart…he knew Judy had the same faith in him as her mother always had.

And yet…despite realising for the first time all year that she truly believed in her father's innocence, Judy knew Sirius was asking for something impossible. She remembered her words to Lupin all too well, she'd never lie to him again. She couldn't help her father without any evidence of his innocence. She couldn't risk helping him if there was still a chance that he was guilty. She had to find the evidence to support what her heart had been telling her for twelve years. Sirius was innocent.

'Hey!' Judy got to her feet so quickly, she nearly lost her balance.

'Watch out, Byrne. If you're going to fall over, at least give us the pleasure of pushing you…' Odelia said snidely as she walked over to Judy. Dara Bulstrode walked on her left and behind them, in their wake, Abigail followed hesitantly.

'Honestly Odelia, is there really nothing else to your life but wasting my time?' said Judy sarcastically.

'I'd watch what you're saying, Byrne,' said Odelia heatedly as she was only a few meters away from Judy. 'There's nobody here to protect you.' Duncan hissed dangerously at the Slytherin girl.

'To protect me?' asked Judy amused. 'I'd like to see you,-'

'Have you been crying?' asked Dara as the trio came to a halt. 'Your mascara is running down your cheeks!'

'Already grieving Ravenclaw's defeat?' asked Odelia.

'Only people as superficial as you would cry over such things…' said Judy as she wiped her cheeks.

'How dare you call me superficial, you stupid Mudblood!' Odelia snapped. Duncan hissed even harder.

'Oh, that's very original,' said Judy in a sarcastic tone. 'Did you come up with that all by yourself? Or did your Pureblood parents teach you to be so small minded?'

'Ha!' Odelia laughed as Judy realised she'd given her the advantage. 'At least my father didn't walk out on me before I was born. And my mother wasn't so stupid to get herself killed.' said Odelia as she stepped closer to her, ignoring the hissing cat in between them.

'Back off, Odelia,' Judy said tensely.

'Oh, did I hit a nerve?' asked Odelia sweetly. 'Tell me, Byrne. How does it feel to be alone…to know that nobody loves you?'

'I said back off!' Judy yelled, unable to hold back a fresh tear.

'What's going on here then?' Judy looked to her left as Fred, George and Willow walked up to her.

'Nothing that concerns you, Weasley,' Odelia said as she turned away from Judy. 'Come on, girls. We've got better things to do than waste our time on Mudbloods and blood traitors.'

'Are you sure?' asked George. 'You don't know what you're missing!'

'Jude, are you OK?' Willow asked as she walked up to her.

'Fine,' said Judy, wiping away her fresh tears. Duncan gently nudged her leg with his head in a soothing manner. Judy looked down at him with a small smile. 'She just got lucky.'

'Hey, where did he come from?' asked George surprised.

'The Forest,' said Judy truthfully.

'Got to admire his courage,' said Fred amused.

'Yeah, good to see he's back.' Willow looked at Judy for a moment. 'Are you sure you don't want to talk?'

'I just want to watch the game,' said Judy truthfully.

'OK. But I'll help you clean up first,' said Willow as she took her wand and flicked it at Judy. 'That's the first time I've tried that one wordlessly.'

'And did it work?' asked Judy amused.

'That's perfect, Willow,' said Fred. 'You can't see any black stripes now her entire cheeks are black…' Willow cast him a fierce look.

'Come on,' said George as he put his arm around Willow. 'We don't want to be late.'

Judy squatted and scratched Duncan under his chin. 'Thank you,' she whispered, as she put the wrinkled note in her jeans pocket. She met his yellow eyes as she continued. 'Tell him to stay away…it's not safe for him here.' Duncan meowed, before turning around and strutting away from her across the grounds.

Judy got to her feet and noticed Fred a few meters away from her, waiting. She walked up to him, not quite meeting his gaze.

'I'm sorry,' she said truthfully as she reached his side. 'I didn't mean to snap at you earlier.'

'No need to apologize,' said Fred. 'There was bound to be a time I got on your nerves…' Judy couldn't help but laugh. 'Come on,' said Fred as he put his arm around her shoulder and urged her along. 'We'd better hurry if we want to see anything of the game.' Judy followed his gaze and noticed a swarm of students heading their way.

Among a group of Ravenclaws she noticed Shania and Chelsea, carrying a large banner of blue fabric with 'Ravenclaw' embroidered in bronze yarn. Judy smiled as she noticed the proud look on Shania's face.

'Jude…' said Fred, as he pulled her along.

'Yes, sorry…' said Judy as she allowed him to lead her to the stadium. Her hand slid in her jeans pocket as they walked. She squeezed the wrinkled paper as she thought of the choices that lay before her. She couldn't help but lean into the warmth of Fred's embrace as the realisation of what lay ahead of her nearly froze her heart.

* * *

That afternoon the Great Hall was not only filled with sounds of satisfaction due to an excellent lunch, but also with heated discussions about that morning's match. Slytherin narrowly defeated Ravenclaw with some very questionable tactics. Cho Chang, who hadn't been able to play due to injuries, had even fetched her Quidditch rule book from her dorm to check if Slytherin hadn't broken any rules. She was leafing through the pages with Willow looking eagerly over her shoulder. Judy had tried to participate in their search, but it only took her thoughts a few minutes to wander back to what truly weighed on her mind.

Judy stared at her still half full plate as she nearly felt the note burn in her pocket, its contents eager to be shared with the one person she truly trusted. Judy looked to her left to the teachers' table where Lupin sat enjoying his meal. She again noticed how well her uncle looked with Hogwarts' excellent meals and the pleasure he gained from teaching magic. Judy looked back to her plate, her mind taking up by how to tell Lupin about Sirius' note…she knew she had to tell him as soon as possible.

'Come on, Cho. It's got to be in there somewhere,' said Shania as she nearly snatched the rule book from Cho's hands.

'It's not, Shania,' said Cho quickly. 'If a Chaser is holding the Quaffle and aiming for a hoop, the other team's Chaser is allowed to bump into him as long as he's trying to get the Quaffle.'

'But Flint nearly knocked Davies off his broom!' exclaimed Willow in disbelief.

'But he didn't,' said Cho truthfully. 'Had he indeed knocked Davies off then he would have broken the rules. But since Davies stayed on his broom…'

'Bullocks,' said Willow, disappointed.

'Sorry, Willow,' said Cho sympathetically.

'Cho, are you coming?' Marietta called as she walked away from the Ravenclaw table.

'Looks like she's had enough Quidditch for one day,' Cho winked as she closed her book. 'I'll talk to you later. Bye girls!'

'Bye Cho.' Shania said with a smile.

'See you later, Cho!' Willow called. Judy startled as Willow nudged her.

'Yeah, bye Cho…' said Judy absently, as the piece of toast she held escaped her fingers. She sighed as she stared at her plate; she could feel Willow's eyes on her and she dreaded a question to which she could only give a lie as an answer.

'Jude?'

'I need to talk to Fred,' said Judy quickly, getting to her feet. She headed for the Gryffindor table as the words still took form in her mind. She'd considered asking Willow to give Lupin a message, but with her room mates around it would have been too much of a risk.

'Ah! Decided to join the best table in the castle?' asked Lee Jordan as he saw Judy approaching. Judy cast him a weak smile as the twins looked over their shoulder.

'Can I talk to you?' asked Judy, her muscles tense as she looked at Fred.

'Sure,' said Fred, as he and George moved apart so Judy could join them.

'Alone,' said Judy softly.

'OK,' said Fred as he quickly got to his feet. 'The Entrance Hall shouldn't be too crowded,' he said as the two of them headed to the large entrance doors of the Great Hall.

Judy fumbled with the cords of her Ravenclaw sweater vest as she and Fred walked in between the wooden House tables. Her stomach ached and her heart nearly burst out of her chest. She had to be more careful than ever with the message she would ask Fred to deliver. One slip and one wrong person overhearing it could ruin the charade she'd been putting up for years. Judy looked at the Slytherin table, scanning the table for Odelia, but briefly meeting Draco Malfoy's gaze instead. She startled as Fred took her arm and lead her to a deserted corner.

'What's wrong?' he asked worried. Judy waited for a group of first year Hufflepuffs to pass them before speaking.

'I need you to give Lupin a message,' said Judy in a whisper.

'Of course, what do you want me to tell him?'

Judy bit her lip as she thought on the right words. 'Tell him I need to speak to him as soon as possible. I'll wait for him in his office,' she whispered.

'Anything else?' asked Fred.

'No, just...please hurry.' Judy pleaded. It's urgent.'

'OK,' said Fred seriously.

'Thank you,' said Judy with a smile. 'I really appreciate this.'

'No problem,' said Fred warmly. 'Just…Jude, if there's anything I can do to help.'

'I'll let you know,' said Judy truthfully. 'I promise.'

'Good,' Fred cast her a smile. 'I'll go back inside and tell him.' Judy nodded, as she tried to ignore the cold taking hold of her heart.

'Fred,' she said quickly, making him stop in his tracks. 'Make sure nobody overhears you.'

'I will. Don't worry, gorgeous,' he said gently. He turned on his heel and made his way back into the Great Hall. Judy waited a few moments before walking toward the marble staircase. Her heart pounded against her chest as she consciously fought the urge to run straight to Lupin's office.

Judy reached the second floor, breathing as if she'd run several miles. She looked around before heading down the corridor. She stopped at Lupin's office, looking over her shoulder before taking hold of the doorknob. The door was, as she'd expected, locked.

Judy took out her wand, listened carefully for any sound indicating that she wasn't alone, and upon not hearing anything cast a wordless Alohamora spell. She slipped inside and quickly closed the door again. She gasped for air, only now realising she'd been holding her breath since she'd reached the office door.

Judy walked over to a vacant corner of the room. She leaned against the cold wall as she looked at the various creatures in the room. She didn't know what kind of magic Lupin used, but every time she visited his office there seemed to be more creatures adorning the wooden shelves.

Judy put her hand in her back pocket and took out the wrinkled note Sirius had sent her. She trailed the letters with her fingers as she reread the few words for what seemed a thousand times.

* * *

_Listen to your heart. Come and find me. I need your help._

_Padfoot._

_

* * *

_

Judy didn't know if minutes or hours had passed when the office door suddenly opened. She looked up and met Lupin's eyes with her own. He looked at her, worried and confused, as he closed the door behind him.

'You wanted to see me?' he asked seriously.

'Yes…' Judy said hoarsely. She didn't speak as she walked up to him, knowing very well she wouldn't be able to contain the mix of emotions raging through her. She handed Lupin the wrinkled note and kept her eyes on him as he read the few words on it. It seemed to take ages until Lupin looked up and met Judy's gaze.

'How did you get this?' he asked, less calm than he tried to appear.

'Duncan,' said Judy truthfully. 'I think he's been with Sirius since Christmas.'

'But where…' asked Lupin confused.

'The Forest,' said Judy. 'He's hiding as Padfoot in the Forbidden Forest.'

'The Forest?' asked Lupin, taken aback. 'How do you know he's hiding in the Forest?'

'Because I saw him there in the fall…' said Judy guiltily. 'I only saw a flash of him and I tried to convince myself that I must have dreamt it. But Willow saw Duncan heading into the Forest a few days ago…and now that he brought me back this note…he must be in the Forest, Remus.'

Lupin nodded as he looked back at the note again. 'Why didn't you tell me this sooner…' he said, his voice strained.

'Because I wasn't sure I saw him and I…' her voice failed her as Lupin looked at her. The mix of anger and disappointment in his eyes pierced Judy's heart. 'You have to understand, Remus. He is my father. He was your friend. I don't…' Judy couldn't hold back her tears anymore as she felt lonelier than she ever had before in her life. 'I don't know what to do…' she said, as tears streamed down her face. 'I just don't know what to do.'

'Sweetheart,' Lupin sighed as he pulled her in his arms. 'It's all right. I'm not angry with you,' he said gently. Judy sobbed on his chest, her body shaking as she clung onto her uncle. 'It's all right,' Lupin repeated as he caressed the back of her head.

'I don't know what to do, Remus,' said Judy in between her tears. 'I can't help him, but I can't…I can't…' Judy took a deep breath as she took a step back. 'I can't…'

'You don't need to do anything,' said Lupin warmly. 'You've already done the right thing by coming straight to me.' Judy nodded as Lupin took another look at the note.

'Yes, I thought I'd tell you first and then you could come with me when I show it to Dumbledore,' said Judy as she brushed away a tear from her cheek. 'I'd rather not go to him alone.'

'Dumbledore?' asked Lupin absent-mindedly as he looked up from the note.

'When I said I saw Sirius at Halloween, he told me to come to him straight away next time or he'd take measures…' recalled Judy. Lupin looked at her for a moment, thinking, before he spoke.

'You don't have to tell Dumbledore,' he said finally.

'Remus, I have to,-'

'I'll tell him, Jude,' said Lupin quickly. 'I'll take care of this. I don't want you to tell anybody about this, OK?' he said as he looked at her intently.

'But…' Judy looked at her uncle confused. There was something in his eyes she couldn't quite place. If she didn't know him better she'd thought it to be a hint of fear. 'I don't understand…'

'It's just,' Lupin took a pause to take a deep breath. Judy couldn't read him as she'd always been able to; there was definitely something odd about the way he was acting. 'You've been through enough, sweetheart. I don't want to cause you any more stress than you are already under.' Judy looked at Lupin for a few moments, before nodding. Lupin cast her a small smile. 'Do you want to stay here for a while? I can make us some tea.'

'No…I'd rather be alone,' said Judy truthfully. Lupin nodded in understanding. 'Thanks for your time,' said Judy as she turned away from him and headed for the door. She startled as Lupin took hold of her arm.

'Jude,' he said kindly. 'If Sirius tries to contact you again…'

'I'll let you know,' said Judy quickly, her stomach doing a summersault as she now definitely recognized fear in Lupin's eyes. 'Remus, is something,-'

'Now, you'd better get going,' said Lupin as he let go of her arm. 'It's best if we're not seen together.'

'Yes,' Judy nodded. 'I know,' she said as she opened the door. She closed it without another word and walked down the second floor corridor to the marble staircase. She made a left and headed up to the Ravenclaw common room, her thoughts racing relentlessly through her head.

The common room fortunately wasn't as crowded as Judy had feared it to be. Cho and Marietta sat at the round cherry table. Chelsea's little sister Evelyn sat there too, doing her homework with a fellow first year. The blue sofa and comfy chairs in front of the hearth were taken up by a couple of third and fourth years who were trading Wizard Cards.

Judy looked at the corner of the room, where the largest bookcase stood. There were two comfy chairs there, of which only one was occupied. Chelsea sat on the chair in a lotus position, reading a Divination book.

'Mind if I join you?' asked Judy as she walked over.

'Not at all,' said Chelsea, casting her a genuine smile. Judy scanned the bookcase briefly and took out a small blue book called 'The tales of Beedle the Bard'.

She took the chair next to Chelsea, kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs up on the chair. She opened the book at her favourite story 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'; it was a story James had read to her often whenever she slept over at the Potter's. She knew why she'd had chosen this book out of all others at this moment; the story had always calmed her nerves whenever James read it to her. It had never lost its effect.

'You look troubled,' said Chelsea. Judy looked sideways and met her housemate's gaze.

'I am a little,' she admitted, deciding to see where the conversation was headed.

'Don't be,' said Chelsea gently. 'I know we've got a lot of homework, but we'll manage it, as always…' she offered, sounding only half-convinced.

'Is that why you're here studying?' asked Judy gently. 'I'd expected you to still be in the Great Hall with the others.'

Chelsea shook her head. 'I spent so much time with Shania working on our banner that I got a little behind on homework.'

'Knowing you you'll catch up in no time,' offered Judy encouragingly.

'May be,' Chelsea shrugged. 'But if I don't, it doesn't matter that much…I had a great time sewing and working on something with Shania which wasn't an assignment for school.'

'I'm glad to hear that,' said Judy truthfully. Chelsea smiled at her, before looking back at her book. Judy couldn't help but look at her friend a little longer, as she realised how much Chelsea had changed in the past months. The shy bookworm she'd always known was finally discovering all the other aspects of life.

'What did Connor say about the banner?' asked Judy interested, seizing the opportunity to take her mind off her troubles.

'Oh, he liked it,' said Chelsea, without looking up from her book. 'But he's always really sweet when I ask him what he thinks of something. He never says anything that could hurt my feelings. I think he's one of the nicest boys in school…' Chelsea's voice trailed as she looked at Judy, startled.

'I won't tell anyone,' said Judy honestly. 'I promise.'

'Thank you,' said Chelsea, a blush colouring her usually pale cheeks. Judy smiled at her friend as she hid her face behind her book. The binding was made of dark green leather, Judy noticed, with golden, intricate letters on the cover. Judy's smile faded as she read the title.

* * *

_Magic of the Mind: The Gift of Foresight_

_

* * *

_

Judy clung onto the small blue book in her hands as the events of the past months suddenly raced through her mind. Sirius' escape, Sirius being sighted in a nearby village, Sirius breaking into the castle, Sirius asking her for help…Judy had done everything she could to share her thoughts with the people she trusted most…she had done everything to share her doubts about her father's guilt.

Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks and Andromeda had all listened to her, but had also tried to convince her of her father's guilt and obliged her to live in secrecy. There was one person, however, that she had never talked to about her father. One person she never could have talked to, still couldn't talk to…but now…she did have the possibility to observe.

Judy quickly hid her face behind her book as her train of thoughts continued its fast course. Her plan seemed to have suddenly sprung from her mind, but as she thought longer she realised that all the visions she'd had in the past months had led up to this moment.

Judy had dreamt about the night she lost her mother, after having seen Sirius on a wanted poster, looking as helpless as she'd felt that night. She saw her parents together, when her heart ached to see the father she remembered. She saw herself playing in a meadow with Padfoot, after she'd seen her father in his Animagus form. She'd dreamt of her parents spending Christmas at the Potters as she herself was about to spent Christmas with her own best friends. She'd had a vision about her parents meeting and her mother's vision about their future, when she and Charlie were alone in the orchard and about to confess their feelings to each other.

Every dream, every vision she'd had, had been related to something she was going through in her own life. And, Judy thought, if there had to be a connection to what she herself was going through…may be she could steer reality so she could have the vision she needed most right now.

Judy got to her feet, fighting the urge to run up the stairs. She bent down and picked up her shoes. 'I'm going to read upstairs for a while,' she said to Chelsea. 'I can't concentrate with this chatter.' She said, referring to the Ravenclaws sitting at the cherry table.

'Sure, I'll see you later,' Chelsea replied, casting Judy a short glance.

'Yes, see you later,' said Judy absently, already heading for the spiral staircase. She took the steps two at a time and stood in her dormitory in less than ten seconds. Judy dropped her shoes at the foot of the bed and quickly walked to her nightstand. She didn't hesitate as she laid down the book and took the framed picture of her holding the dark kitten. As soon as Judy touched the picture it faded into the image of her parents at their NEWT ball.

'This should work,' said Judy as she slipped the picture frame inside her vest. She stood in the dormitory for a moment, thinking of a deserted place where she could call on a vision without anybody noticing her. It didn't take long for one came to mind.

Judy turned on her heel and walked back toward the small spiral staircase. She took every step carefully, again slowing down her urge to run to where she was headed. She halted at the bottom of the stairs as several familiar voices came from the entrance of the common room.

Shania was the first of the sixth years to enter the common room, the folded banner in her hands. Judy couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her room mate so proud. Connor and Aidan walked in after her, still discussing the outcome of the match. Willow followed in their wake. She halted as their eyes met. Judy didn't need to guess why. She walked over to her best friend, recognizing a look in her eyes that she knew all too well.

'I owe you an apology,' said Judy truthfully.

'Oh, really?' asked Willow sarcastically.

'Will, I'm sorry,-'

'Do you have any clue what it means to have a best friend, Jude?' asked Willow heatedly. 'It means you share the good and the bad times. It doesn't mean you ignore me every time something's wrong.'

'Willow,-'

'The next time you need me, save yourself the trouble and head straight to Fred, OK?' she said, before walking past Judy and running up the spiral staircase.

Judy took a deep breath in an effort to still her emotions. She tried to ignore all of the students staring at her. She crossed her arms, pressing the picture frame tightly to her chest, to try and chase away the loneliness which threatened to overtake her. Part of her wanted to go after Willow and explain why she'd gone to Fred instead of her, another part knew that the matter of her father's innocence or guilt outweighed whatever she had going on in her own life; she didn't have a choice. Judy didn't look at anybody as she walked straight out of the dormitory.

The fifth floor corridor was anything but deserted, with students heading back to their common rooms or taking a stroll through the castle. Judy looked to her right at the statue of Boris the Bewildered and pressed the picture frame even closer to her chest as she started walking. She halted as an image of her mother flashed in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before walking on and taking the fourth door on the left. She opened it with the password she'd used a few months before.

The prefect's bathroom was, as Judy had hoped, deserted. She turned on her heel and bolted the door to make sure she was indeed alone. The marble walls, floor and single sunken bathtub all reflected the pale sunlight falling through the windows. Judy took her wand and flicked it at the candle-filled chandelier, making all of the candles lit up simultaneously; she wasn't sure when she'd come to from the vision and she wanted to make sure she wouldn't awake in the dark.

Judy walked to a corner of the room and sat down on the cold marble floor. She took out the picture frame from under her coat and held it in her right hand. She moved her left hand to her throat and followed the thin silver chain to the single red coral on her chest. She took the red stone in between her thumb and index finger, using the protection she knew she would need.

Judy took a long glance at the picture in her hand, closed her eyes and thought on the note her father wrote to her. He'd told her to listen to her heart…a heart that had as much faith in him as the heart of the other woman he loved…

Judy took a deep breath before she spoke, not having a clue if her impulsive plan would succeed.

'What did your heart tell you, mother?' she whispered as the bathroom moved aside for a warm summer evening in Godric's Hollow.

_Briana Byrne walked cautiously down the narrow lane. Her long dark hair was hidden under a brown silk shawl and the long dark coat she wore hid her slender features. She seemed to have done anything to make sure nobody recognized her. _

_Briana stopped at a small cottage, which Judy immediately recognized from the vision she had at Christmas. Her mother opened the small gate and walked down the path leading to the house. A faint orange glow shone through the curtains of the living room. The rest of the house seemed to be covered in darkness. _

_Briana knocked twice on the wooden door, looking anxiously over her shoulder as she waited. She quickly looked back as the lock clicked open. The door opened slowly to reveal Lily's green eyes, which widened as she recognized her friend. _

'_Merlin's beard! What are you doing here?' Lily exclaimed as Briana looked around nervously. _

'_Please Lily, I can't be seen,' said Briana pleadingly. Lily quickly opened the door further to let her friend in. She closed it before she spoke._

'_You're telling me you can't be seen?' asked Lily reproachfully. 'You're in hiding, Briana. You shouldn't be here!'_

'_I know, I know,' said Briana as she removed the dark scarf to reveal her long black locks. 'Is James here?'_

'_No,' said Lily quickly. 'He's on a mission with Sirius. He should be home any time now.'_

'_Then I have to hurry,' said Briana, taking Lily by the hand and pulling her into the living room. _

'_Briana, you're hurting me!' Lily protested. _

'_I'm sorry,' said Briana, letting go of her friend. 'I just have to…you have to know this.' She took a few steps toward the four candles in the corner of the room, before turning on her heel. Lily nearly gasped as she saw Briana's bloodshot eyes and reddened cheeks. _

'_You had another vision, didn't you?' Briana only nodded as she quickly wiped away another tear. 'About one of us?' Briana nodded. 'About James?' asked Lily with a hint of fear. _

'_Perhaps you'd better sit down, Lily,' said Briana gently. _

'_Dear Merlin, is he going to,-'_

'_Please, Lily. Sit down,' Briana repeated as she took her friend's shoulder. She gently steered her to the couch and sat down beside her. Briana took a deep breath before she spoke. 'I had a vision…about you and James.' Lily looked at her friend nervously. 'Before I tell you about it, you have to know that it was very vague and I have no idea if what I saw will actually happen in real life.' _

'_I know,' said Lily in a whisper. 'What did you see?'_

'_I saw a dark cloaked figure breaking into your home,' said Briana slowly. 'He killed James with a killing curse. You fled upstairs…you were holding something, but I couldn't make out what it was…then the cloaked figure aimed his wand at you and there was a green flash of light…' _

_Lily stared at the wall opposite them. Briana took Lily's hand in hers and squeezed it gently to calm her friend. In the silence that followed, Judy realised for the first time that she was standing in the living room and not looking at the scene as if in a dream. She kept her eyes on her mother and Lily as she walked closer and sat down on a nearby chair. _

'_You said it was all vague…' said Lily finally. _

'_Yes,' said Briana softly. _

'_That means we can still change it,' Lily concluded in a determined voice. _

'_Yes,' Briana confirmed. _

'_How?' asked Lily, looking back at her friend. _

_Briana folded her hands on her legs and sat up straight. 'I'm not sure,' she said truthfully. 'I saw something right before I had the vision about you and James, and I'm sure it has something to do with what I saw, but I don't know how…'_

'_We'll figure out how it's linked to James and me,' said Lily confidently. 'What did you see?'_

'_Sirius,' said Briana in a whisper. 'I saw him kneeling on the floor, crying and holding…' Briana's voice trailed. _

'_Holding what?' asked Lily interested. _

'_It doesn't matter,' said Briana quickly. 'All that matters is that, whatever happens, you and James should trust Sirius. He'd never let any harm come to you.'_

'_I know, we've always trusted Sirius,' said Lily confused._

'_Yes, but this time…Lily, if you and James find your safety depending on magic, Sirius is the only one you should trust,' Briana insisted._

'_But how can you be so sure?' asked Lily, still confused. 'You said it was all vague.'_

'_I'm sure, because the vision about Sirius was crystal clear…' said Briana, hiding the fear Judy herself felt inside. She knew all too well what her mother had seen in her vision…she knew all too well who's lifeless body Sirius had been holding. _

_Lily only nodded as she looked at her friend. She didn't speak as Briana looked at the opposite wall with moist eyes. _

'_Thank you, Bri,' Lily whispered as she now squeezed her friend's hand gently. _

'_Of course,' said Briana absently. 'Just…Lily, Sirius can't know I've been here.'_

'_I won't tell him,' Lily promised. 'And I'll make sure James won't either.'_

'_Thanks,' said Briana relieved. _

'_It's the least I can do,' Lily said truthfully. Briana nodded absently, her eyes focused on the four candles in the corner of the room, as the orange flames reflected in her dark eyes._

Judy gasped as she came to. Her body ached all over and she couldn't help but shiver. She felt as if she'd been flooded with ice cold water. The picture frame fell out of her hand as it shook uncontrollably. Judy tightened her grip on the red coral as she did her utmost to focus on Charlie and the protecting bond they shared. But the little spark igniting in her heart wasn't enough to warm her by far.

Judy closed her eyes, doing her utmost to prevent the inevitable. She bit her lip as she opened her eyes again and focused as much on Charlie as she could, knowing she needed every bit of strength to get the help she needed. She put the picture frame inside her Ravenclaw sweater, turned and pushed herself up. She leaned against the wall as she slowly made her way back to the door.

Judy trailed the wall with her fingers as she clumsily made her way to the wooden door. She dragged her feet across the floor, stumbling as her toes got caught behind an edge of stone. She staggered to the door, tripping over her feet and grabbing the doorknob to keep from falling to the floor. Judy squinted to unbolt the door, doing her utmost to sharpen her blurry vision.

The door seemed to weigh a ton as Judy pushed it open. She held on tightly to the dark wood as her knees gave way. It was a matter of seconds as her strength failed her and she fell to the cold stone floor.

* * *

Judy opened her eyes slowly as she awoke from a deep sleep. Every muscle in her body ached, despite the soft mattress and pillow she lay on. She ran her tongue over her dry lips and swallowed in an effort to moisten her dry mouth. As she turned her head she realised a moist cloth lay on her forehead and it felt quite cool; someone replaced it not to long ago.

Judy looked around the hospital wing, realising for the first time it was dark. The candle on her nightstand cast a small circle of light around her bed. The only other source of light was a candle on a deserted desk at the other end of the room, where Madam Pomfrey usually sat.

'Hello?' Judy's voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke. She pushed herself up slowly, biting her lip as her muscles protested.

'What do you think you're doing?' Judy yelped as Madam Pomfrey's voice cut through the silence. 'You should be resting.'

'I didn't think there was anybody here,' said Judy as her heart beat fast against her chest.

'You didn't think we'd leave you unwatched, did you?' asked Madam Pomfrey confused as she swished her wand. A silver Patronus erupted from the tip of her wand and rushed out of the hospital wing. 'I promised Professor Lupin I'd warn him as soon as you came to. He should be here any moment,' she said as she laid her hand on Judy's forehead. 'I don't think he's slept since you've been here.'

'You make it sound like I've been here for weeks…' said Judy amused.

'Eighteen days actually,' said Madam Pomfrey seriously. Judy looked at her with widened eyes.

'Eighteen days?' she repeated breathlessly.

'Yes,' said Madam Pomfrey gently. 'It seems your visions are taking quite a toll on you...'

'Isn't that normal?' asked Judy carefully. Madam Pomfrey cast her a sympathetic smile.

'I'd better refresh this,' she said as she took the cloth from Judy's forehead.

'Madam Pomfrey,-' her voice trailed as she noticed Lupin in the doorway. He looked at her for a moment, before walking toward her. Judy's heart froze as she saw the look in his eyes and recognized the hint of fear in them. He stopped at the foot of her bed, looking at her hesitantly. The dark circles under his eyes and his pale complexion indicated he had indeed not slept in days. 'I'm all right,' said Judy gently.

Lupin nodded as he walked to her side and sat down on the bed. He didn't speak as he covered her hand with his and kissed her forehead. Judy smiled at him as he pulled back.

'What happened, sweetheart?' he asked hoarsely. Judy looked at him for a moment, torn between the promise she made never to lie to him again and his reaction if she told him what she'd been trying to do.

'I summoned a vision,' she said finally, holding onto her promise.

Lupin looked at her in disbelief. 'You summoned…why?'

'Because I…I wanted to See my mother,' said Judy carefully. 'Because I wanted to know what her heart told her about my father…' Lupin let go of her hand as she spoke. 'Remus,-'

'Do you have any idea what you've done?' asked Lupin heatedly.

'I had to know, Remus,' said Judy quickly. 'And this was the only safe way to,-'

'Safe?' Lupin asked. 'Safe? You were unconscious for eighteen days, Jude! We had to control your temperature with a spell, if we hadn't you might have…' His voice trailed.

'I didn't know this would have such an effect on me,' said Judy honestly. 'I didn't think I'd remain unconscious for so long…'

'The vision didn't cause you to be unconscious…' said Lupin in a strained voice. 'When we found you, you were…you looked so pale and felt so cold, I thought…' Lupin broke off as he looked at his hands. Judy looked at him through misty eyes in the silence that followed.

'Jude…' Lupin finally broke the silence. 'If it hadn't been for Dumbledore's magic, we probably would have lost you.' Judy nodded, unable to say anything as she took Lupin's hand and held it firmly.

She leaned back against her propped up pillow as she stared in the distance, allowing everything Lupin had said to her to sink in. She didn't blink nor move as she looked into the darkness. Lupin sat quietly too, looking at her with moist eyes.

Judy took a deep breath to chase away the fear taking hold of her heart. A fear caused only in part by what had happened…a fear caused mostly by the choice that lay before her.

'Mum told Lily and James to trust Sirius,' said Judy in a whisper. 'She said that if their lives depended on magic, Sirius was the only one they should trust.' Lupin looked at her, thinking.

'Your mother always had a lot of faith in your father,' Lupin said softly. 'But that doesn't mean that her faith in him was justified.'

Judy only nodded as she held Lupin's gaze. Her heart warmed as she saw a hint of doubt in his eyes. A doubt she hadn't seen in the twelve years he'd raised her.

'What if her faith was justified?' asked Judy carefully.

'Jude,' said Lupin quietly, 'don't.'

'But Remus,'

'No, Jude,' Lupin said in a firmer tone. 'We've had this discussion often enough this past year. He betrayed Lily and James, he killed Peter, and he murdered thirteen Muggles. Sirius is a murderer and he needs to be punished for his crime. And this is the last time we've spoken about this.' He concluded in a final tone. Judy evaded his gaze as she nodded quietly.

'Professor?' Madam Pomfrey said as she approached the two of them. 'I'm sorry, but she really should rest now.'

'Yes, of course,' said Lupin gently. 'I'll come back tomorrow,' he leaned over and kissed Judy's forehead. She met his eyes as he pulled back, still noticing the same doubt in his eyes.

'I'm sorry,' said Judy in a whisper. Lupin cast her a small smile.

'Goodbye, sweetheart,' he said warmly before turning around and walking away from her. Judy looked after him as Madam Pomfrey laid another wet cloth on her forehead.

'There. Now, before you go back to sleep you need to eat something to regain your strength,' said Madam Pomfrey kindly. 'I trust you will stay in bed, while I go to the kitchens.'

'Yes, of course,' said Judy absently, as Lupin walked through the doorway and disappeared from view. She leaned back against the headboard of the bed, staring into the distance and barely noticing Madam Pomfrey leaving the hospital wing.

The darkness around her seemed to grow as she sat quietly, staring in front of her. The candle beside her was the only light, the only protection against the fear growing in her heart. She looked sideways, only now noticing the several cards and pieces of candy on her nightstand.

She took one of the cards and flipped it around to see Fred's familiar handwriting.

* * *

Dear Jude,

_You're in our thoughts. We miss you. _

_Hope you get better soon. _

_F & G_

_

* * *

_

Judy gulped as she read the card. She knew the twins were troubled, if they didn't put a joke in their writing. She'd only ever received one letter from George without a joke…

Judy picked up the other two cards from her nightstand. One was from Ginny, the other from her fellow sixth year Ravenclaws, with only one name missing. Judy reread the card to make sure Willow's name was indeed not on it. She bit back a tear as she put it down on the light wooden surface. She hadn't realised how much she'd hurt her best friend's feelings until now; she hadn't realised that telling the truth might be the only way to regain Willow's trust. Judy blinked away her tears, her eyes still on her nightstand as she noticed an envelope.

She took the envelope between her thumb and index finger and held it up in front of her as she looked at the unfamiliar handwriting. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised who the letter was from. She quickly opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

* * *

_Dear Jude,_

_How are you? Is it good to be back at Hogwarts? Or is Snape giving you a hard time again? If so, remember I can always send a dragon after him…_

_I'm sorry it took me a while to write to you. I simply haven't had the time with working overtime to make up for my Christmas holiday. These past two weeks I haven't been able to do anything but work, eat and sleep. Though I can't say I mind…not with the memories you've given me. _

_I hope you've managed to catch up on the sleep I deprived you from that last night at the Burrow and that you've regained the strength your vision cost you. Hopefully your body and mind quickly learn how to cope. And if not…remember what I told you that last night. You don't have to go through this on your own. Fred and George will never break your friendship over your gift…though you might have to put up with them asking for Quidditch outcomes…but at the end of the day you'll have some extra pairs of eyes to watch over you whenever you need them to. I don't know about you, but I know that knowledge puts my heart at peace. Especially now I realise how much distance there is between us… _

_Don't get me wrong, it's great to be back home and I still believe that we can do this. I just can't deny that I miss you, Jude. I'm glad I have the dragons to keep me busy during the day, but I can't help but think of you when I'm at home. I guess I only realise now how little time we've shared together, which makes it even stranger how much I got used to having you around. I suppose it has something to do with the spell you cast on me…_

_Well, I have to finish this letter now if I want to get a few hours of sleep before I have to get back to work again. Like I told you at the Burrow, I'm not very good with words, so I'm afraid this letter is not as long as you might have wanted it to be. I just want you to know that I miss you and I look forward to hearing from you. _

_Love, _

_Charlie_

_

* * *

_

Judy leaned back against her pillow and reread the letter. It was funny how Charlie claimed he wasn't good with words, when his letter was able to warm not only her heart but her entire body. Her fingers actually tingled as she held the paper Charlie' had written on, the paper he'd touched…

Judy's eyes widened as she realised what effect Charlie's letter was having on her. Slowly but surely the tingling sensation in her fingers spread through her hands and her arms, warming her cold skin. She quickly enveloped the single red coral with her free hand and sensed the same tingling sensation.

Her lips curled up in a smile as she realised the implications of what was happening to her…the implications of the protecting bond she shared with her boyfriend.

'If I can strengthen it…' said Judy, thinking out loud.

Her mind raced as she looked around the room. She needed something stronger, something that would make her think about Charlie instantly, something that would kindle the flame that was now burning in her heart. Something that would provide her enough protection to survive what she had planned...

She smiled as the solution popped up in her head.

After months of doubting, fearing and feeling powerless, she'd finally found a way to help her prove what she'd known all along in her heart. With Charlie's protection she could prove Sirius' innocence with her visions…all she needed was the right one.

Judy sighed as she lay down on her side. She looked at the flickering candle on her nightstand. Lupin told her to rest…if only he knew what she going to do.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note: **Hello everyone. I'm ashamed to say that it's been a year since my last update. My personal life has been quite hectic for the past year and a half and by the looks of it it won't quiet down until January. But as always, I assure you I will finish this fanfic, hopefully with a lot less time in between updates. I am very grateful for those of you who still join me on this journey. I hope you'll enjoy the following chapter and will take the time to give some feedback. Your reviews keep this story going :). In closing, I've posted a new vid on Youtube. I can't put up the link here, but I will do so in my profile. The vid is about Judy and Sirius and it contains some hints of what's to come in the following chapters.

**Chapter 16**

**The ****gift of Foresight**

As January passed, Judy could tell by the melting icicles on the window panes that the first warmth of spring was chasing away winter's chill. Slowly but surely she regained her strength as she remained confined to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey kept a close eye on her as Judy gradually spent more and more time out of bed, making sure she did not strain herself too much. Lupin visited daily, as did Fred and George, unable to hide their concern at her pale complexion and hollowed features. Judy did her utmost to replenish the energy the vision and her recovery cost her, having seconds of nearly every meal and a fare share of cauldron cakes and Chocolate Frogs of which the twins seemed to have an endless supply. It wasn't until the second week of February, however, that her efforts paid off.

Judy stood in front of the mirror that Saturday afternoon, running her brush through her long dark wavy hair. She smiled as she looked at her reflection, noticing how her cheeks started to fill back into their old form and how for the first time in weeks she had a blush on her pale skin. The dark circles under her eyes had taken on a lighter shade of grey as well. Overall it was clear that slowly but surely her energy was returning to her and with the path that lay before her that was a very comforting thought.

She divided the dark mass of her hair in two and started on a herringbone braid, her eyes focusing on nothing in particular as she concentrated on her hands. Her fingers moved quickly without missing a strand; a result of years of practice. Her arms ached a little as she finally reached the end which reached her hips by now; the aftermath of the Christmas holiday and the consequences of her vision had made her forget all about the hair cut she had planned. Judy made a mental note to see Shania the next day.

She walked back to her bed where a stack of clothes, get well cards and a few boxes of candy lay. She'd stacked it all on top of each other, making a wobbly pile that she intended to carry back to the dormitory on her own. The only thing left on her nightstand was the picture of her holding Duncan as a kitten. Judy leaned over and picked up the frame, the picture changing into one of her mother and father at her touch. Her lips curled up in a small smile as her deep blue eyes locked on Sirius, looking back at her with an all too familiar sparkle in his eyes.

'Listen to my heart…' Judy whispered, trailing the lines of Sirius' face with her fingers.

'Are you still here?' Madam Pomfrey asked kindly. Judy quickly hid the picture in between her clothes as she heard the other approach. 'I thought you'd jump at the chance to leave this place…'

'I was about to leave,' said Judy, turning on her heel. 'I just wanted to wait till most of the students were off to Hogsmeade. I'm not sure I can handle my House mates' questions all at once…'

'That's very wise of you,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'You should take it easy for a while. Just because you're released from my care doesn't mean you're fully recovered.'

'I know,' said Judy with a small smile. 'Thank you for your kindness, Madam Pomfrey.'

'Don't mention it, dear,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'Just promise me you won't return here any time soon?'

'I'll try,' said Judy truthfully.

'Now, you'd best be off. You've been cooped up in here long enough,' said Madam Pomfrey as she helped Judy lift the stack from her bed. 'Are you sure you'll manage, dear?'

'Yes, I'm sure,' said Judy quickly, balancing the pile in her arms. 'Thanks again.'

'You're welcome. Now, go on,' said Madam Pomfrey ushering her out of the hospital wing. 'You're now in need of magic that I can't give to you…' Judy cast her a confused glance. 'The magic of friendship, dear.'

Judy smiled. 'Goodbye, Madam Pomfrey.'

'Goodbye,' she replied with a short wave as she walked toward her desk.

Judy walked down the deserted corridor leading away from the hospital wing, carefully guarding her balance as her legs seemed to have forgotten how to walk straight. She bit her lip as she balanced her clothing, cards and candy in her arms while walking up the marble staircase. Every other staircase she halted to catch her breath, feeling as if she were climbing a mountain.

She finally reached the entrance to Ravenclaw tower, leaning against the wall as she looked at the bronze knocker shaped like an eagle. She really wasn't in the mood to answer a difficult question, not with her own questions claiming her mind. And then, as if the door had read her mind, it swung open, making Judy's jaw drop an inch.

'Oh, hello there,' said a dreamy voice as a girl with long dirty blond hair stepped out of the doorway. She wore a short blue dress with an orange shirt underneath, matching stockings and dangling earrings shaped like little oranges. Her shoes, however, were what attracted Judy's attention most. They were blue speckled with orange spots and they curled up at the front, ending in a pointy tip. They reminded Judy of the shoes wizards and witches wore in Muggle fairy tales.

'Hello Luna,' Judy smiled at her, always having liked the quirkiness of her House mate.

'I thought you were still in the hospital wing,' the younger girl said confused.

'I was until a few moments ago,' said Judy truthfully.

'You're feeling better then?' asked Luna with a bright smile.

'A little,' said Judy honestly. 'I think it'll be a while before I'm back to my old self.'

'Then I guess you won't be going to Hogsmeade today?' asked Luna interested.

'No, I think it's better if I skip it this time,' Judy replied.

'I suppose you'd better. Besides, I don't think you have much of a choice,' said Luna, thinking. 'Hagrid usually feeds the Thestrals in the afternoon, I don't think he'd let them pull an extra carriage.'

'You can see Thestrals too?' Judy let slip, cursing herself for being that careless.

'Yes,' said Luna meeting her eyes with an inquisitive gaze. 'My mother was an experimental witch…unfortunately one of her spells went wrong one day. I was there when it happened.'

'I'm sorry to hear that, Luna,' said Judy truthfully.

'Well, I've still got my Dad,' said Luna with a smile. 'What about you?' she asked interested.

'I saw my mother die too,' said Judy, not wanting to ignore the unexpected connection between the two of them. 'She was killed by a Death Eater,' she added without thinking.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Luna looked at her sympathetically.

'That's all right,' said Judy. 'It happened a long time ago,' she looked back at Luna, hoping she wouldn't ask the question she'd already answered herself; Judy wasn't sure she could take being reminded of how she'd lost both of her parents. Not in her current condition, anyway.

'You know, I think I'll go and see if I can give Hagrid a hand,' Luna said as if sensing Judy's discomfort.

'Yes,' said Judy with a thankful smile. 'Would you mind holding the door for me before you go?'

'No, not at all,' said Luna kindly.

'Thanks,' said Judy, referring to more than just holding the door.

'Anytime,' Luna replied with a smile. 'I hope you'll feel better soon!' she called as Judy proceeded into the common room.

'Thank you!' Judy called back, hurrying inside as the pile in her arms threatened to topple over.

'Whoa there,' said an all too familiar voice as his arms caught a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

'Thanks,' said Judy, balancing the remaining gifts. Aidan smiled as he took a box of Chocolate Frogs from her.

'Are you sure you can eat all this on your own?' he said amused.

'If I need help, you'll be the first to know,' Judy replied, playing along.

'How are you feeling?' Aidan asked, his tone more serious. Judy couldn't help but notice how his dark locks framed his face the same way as young Sirius' dark hair had framed his once handsome features.

'Tired...' said Judy in earnest. 'But all right,' she added with a confident smile.

'Yes…you look all right,' Aidan said sceptically.

'Yes well, I'd better get these things upstairs before everything falls to the floor,' Judy carefully reached for the box of Chocolate Frogs and took it from Aidan's hand. 'You can keep the Beans…I tried one yesterday and it tasted like earwax…'

'Well, in that case I guess it's safe for me to eat the rest of it,' he offered with a casual smile that didn't reach his eyes.

'By the way, are the others all off to Hogsmeade?' asked Judy, trying to make her voice sound casual as she looked around the nearly deserted common room.

'I believe they are, I didn't get up till after the carriages left,' he explained with a meaningful look.

'Had a rough night?' Judy asked amused.

'Something like that,' Aidan said with a mysterious smile as he put a dark lock behind his ear. 'I suppose you want me to spare you the details?'

'Yes, please. I'll see you later,' said Judy. 'Thanks for the card, by the way.'

'You're welcome.' He called after her as she walked up the staircase.

Judy entered the dorm, a little breathless from the small spiral staircase, walked to her bed, and held her arms above it to drop their contents on her mattress.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' Judy yelped and dropped the cards and sweets. Duncan hissed loudly as he struggled his way from under the pile. 'Now, I don't like cats…but that's just cruel.' Judy turned on her heel to face her room mate.

'I didn't do it on purpose!' she said quickly as she knelt to the floor to look for Duncan under her bed.

'I know,' said Abigail amused. 'You'd definitely be in Slytherin if you did that on purpose.' Judy couldn't help but laugh.

'Since when do you make fun of Slytherins?' she asked amused.

'I'm not making fun of them,' said Abigail, shocked. 'I'm just saying…I mean…'

'I know, I know,' said Judy reassuringly. 'Every House has its bad apples…' She reached out to Duncan and allowed him to sniff her hand. 'I'm sorry, I really didn't see you…' Judy said apologetically as he slowly walked toward her. She sat down as he approached her and allowed him to sit on her lap.

'Speaking of bad apples…' said Abigail as she closed her book. Judy only half listened, picking several plucks of dark hair from Duncan's fur. She smiled as she savoured the texture of the hairs, remembering vaguely how she'd clung onto the fur as a little girl.

'Padfoot…' she whispered with a small smile; for the first time all year feeling her heart warm with love, instead of freeze with fear.

'…are you listening?'

'What? Sorry, no…' said Judy as she looked up at her room mate.

'I said, I think Willow has lost it…'

'Lost it?' asked Judy confused.

'Well, she's been acting weird since you've been ill. She keeps to herself a lot and spends a lot of time up here, alone. If I hadn't seen her setting off to Hogsmeade with that George Weasley, I thought he'd broken up with her or something. She looks like she's been crying half of the time and it seems to have gotten worse since Black broke into Gryffindor tower and nearly killed Ron Weasley…'

'I'm sorry, what?' said Judy confused. 'Black broke into the castle again? When did this happen?'

'Last Saturday, the day of our match against Gryffindor,' said Abigail casually. 'The crazy idiot surprised him with a dagger in the middle of the night…'

'A dagger?' asked Judy, confused. 'Do you mean he meant to attack Ron?'

'Or just picked the wrong bed…' said Abigail darkly. 'I mean, if I were a Death Eater and I was still fighting for You-Know-Who's cause…I wouldn't put a dagger against Weasley's throat…I'd,-'

'Try to kill the boy who lived…' said Judy absently. She frowned as she caressed Duncan, lying lazily in her lap. Her mind worked overtime as it tried to fit the new information with what her heart, her mother's heart, was telling her. There was no way on earth that her father was out to take his godson's life…but then why would he break in his dorm with a dagger...if he tried to do so again…she had to make her preparations rather sooner than later. 'I'm going to the library,' she said, quickly getting to her feet as a protesting Duncan slid off her lap.

'Shouldn't you be resting?' asked Abigail sceptically.

'Not if I want to live through Potions…'

'I suppose you have a point…' said Abigail as Judy opened her trunk and started searching for her ink, parchment and quill. 'Just try not to pass out again, will you?' she said in a serious tone. Judy looked over her shoulder and met her room mate's eyes with a small smile.

'Thanks.' Abigail only nodded before turning back to her book.

Judy slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried down the spiral staircase. She was already halfway through the common room when a hand grabbed her arm.

'Hang on, where are you going?' Judy looked down and followed the hand, arm and shoulder to meet Aidan's dark eyes.

'Are you sure you want to lose that hand?' she asked in a dangerous tone. He loosened his grip with an approving smile.

'Come on, Byrne. Answer the question…'

'The library,' said Judy amused. 'I hope that's all right with you…'

'Yes, that's all right,' said Aidan as he picked up his schoolbag from the ground. Judy looked at him suspiciously. 'I was just heading the same way,' he said amused.

'You?' asked Judy confused. 'You'd rather spend your afternoon in the library than go visit Hogsmeade?'

Aidan cast her the same mischievous grin as her father had had in his younger years. 'I thought you would know it by now, Byrne,' he took her arm and led her out of the common room. 'I am full of surprises,' he said mysteriously, making Judy laugh.

* * *

The library was as deserted as every Sunday morning, Judy noticed as she and Aidan walked through the entrance doors and were welcomed by the sight of dark wooden bookcases and the smell of old books and parchment. Judy smiled as she inhaled the air deeply; it was more than a welcome change from the sterile air in the hospital wing.

'Where do you want to sit?' asked Aidan, gesturing at a few of the deserted tables.

'Ehm,' Judy hesitated as Madame Pince walked by with a stack of books. She really didn't need any prying eyes while she made the preparations for her plan. 'How about we take one of the smaller desks in the back?'

'In the back?' asked Aidan interested. 'Sounds like you've got something planned…'

'Oh I do,' said Judy mysteriously, playing along. 'I intend to do some very serious studying.' Aidan grinned and followed her toward the bookcases.

'You know, you never told me what you did to that shy dark haired girl I met in my first year….you know, the one that was always following Willow around…' Aidan added with a smile.

'Oh her,' said Judy amused, as she looked in between the bookcases, searching for the perfect spot. 'I don't know…I think Fred and George…how about we sit over there?' asked Judy, seeing a secluded and deserted corner.

'Yeah, that looks like a nice quiet spot,' Aidan agreed as they walked over to the desk. He took his bag from his shoulder. The hard thud on the floor indicated just how many books he'd crammed into it.

'Exactly how much homework do you intend to catch up on?' asked Judy amused as she put her lighter bag on one of the chairs.

'As much as I have to to get a good evaluation from Flitwick,' Aidan replied.

'Don't you think you're a bit late for that?' offered Judy amused. She stopped smiling as she saw the look in her friend's eyes. 'You're serious about this, aren't you?'

'It's my future, Judy. It's about time I got serious about it, don't you think?'

'Well yeah, but…I mean, I know you don't put more effort into school than you have to, but it's not like you neglect your homework…' Judy said as she sat down beside him.

'Believe it or not Byrne, but I got two P's at Christmas and I have to work harder than ever to turn them into A's before March…' Aidan said as he opened his books.

'Which subjects?' asked Judy interested.

'DADA and Transfiguration…the only two serious subjects I have…' he added, sounding slightly desperate.

Judy looked at him for a moment, feeling sorry for him as he leafed through his DADA book. Aidan had always pretended not to care much about his education, but being put in Ravenclaw meant that he did care about school. Much more than he'd ever shown any of his friends…just as much as he was showing Judy now…

She observed him for a moment, trying to ignore her urge to help him with his homework. She still had so much homework to catch up on herself, not to mention the preparations she had to make if she wanted her plan to succeed. Then again if Aidan would fail without her…Judy sighed in defeat, knowing she couldn't live with herself if she didn't help her friend out.

'Listen, I need to write a couple of letters…but when I'm done with those…how about we study together?'

'No, that's OK. I mean, you're so much behind with your own homework…'

'How about you don't worry about me, but I worry about you for a change?' asked Judy amused.

'You know, you are too good for me, Jude.' Aidan cast her a smile. 'Thanks.' He took her hand and squeezed it gently.

'Don't worry about it,' Judy smiled back at him. She turned to take her ink bottle, quill and parchment from her bag, but stopped as her eyes got caught up in all too familiar blue ones. Judy couldn't help but look back at Fred as he stared at her. 'I'll be right back,' she said to Aidan as she got to her feet and crossed the distance to the end of the bookcase.

'Are you all right?' asked Judy amused, stopping in front of her best friend. 'You look like you've seen a ghost.'

'Why aren't you in the hospital wing?' Fred asked confused.

'Because Madam Pomfrey released me,' explained Judy.

'And she told you to head straight for the library so you can work your way back into a hospital bed again?' Fred asked sarcastically.

'You know, I never thought I'd say this to you. But you worry too much, Fred.' said Judy amused.

'This isn't a joke, Jude,' Fred said seriously. 'You really need to rest.'

'I've spent three weeks in bed doing just that. You can't blame me for craving for homework…' she said innocently.

'Jude, I…you…' Fred shook his head.

'I feel fine. Trust me, Fred.'

'I have…I have all school year, but when I saw you in the hospital wing…' Judy looked back at him, her stomach once again tying itself in a tight knot as she recognized the look in his eyes; it was the same one Charlie had had the day she flew into the goalpost.

'Listen, Fred,' she said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. 'I know that with everything that's going on, it must be hard to trust me in this. But I'll get through this and I really will ask for your help if I need it.' She said truthfully as she looked into his eyes.

'Swear it…' Fred said seriously.

'I promise you, Weasley. If I need help with this, you'll be the first to know,' she said affectionately. Fred sighed as he looked back at her. 'Come here,' said Judy giving him a tight hug and smiling as he returned it. 'I'm sorry I put you through this.'

'Just promise me I will never see you like that again,' he said, his voice laden with emotion. Judy closed her eyes for a moment, thinking on the path that lay ahead of her; a path that would claim more of her than she'd ever given before; a path that could make her balance on something worse than the edge of life and death.

Judy pulled back, intentionally meeting his eyes as she spoke. 'I can't promise you that…' she whispered hoarsely. 'I wish I could, but I can't…' Fred's lips curled up into a smile, much to Judy's surprise.

'I'd rather you tell me the truth than make a promise you can't keep,' he explained. 'Besides, if you come to me next time, I'll be there to catch you when you fall.' Judy smiled at him. 'Listen, don't strain yourself with doing Potions, all right? If Snape gives you a hard time, I'm sure Lupin will sort it out for you…'

'And if you don't watch your mouth, there will be a lot more to sort out than my Potions homework,' said Judy meaningfully, casting a glance at Aidan who seemed to be absorbed by his DADA book.

'Since when does he make his homework, anyway?' asked Fred in a forced casual tone, making Judy turn.

'I could ask you the same question, choosing homework over Hogsmeade,' said Judy amused.

'I've got my OWLS…' said Fred defensively.

'Well, then I don't think I should keep you from your studying...'

'Oh come on, Byrne. I need someone to blame…' said Fred amused.

'I don't think so,' Judy smiled at him. 'I'll talk to you later, OK?'

'Yes, all right,' he said, casting another glance at Aidan. 'If he tries anything…'

'Then I'll scream…' said Judy, rolling her eyes. 'Now go.' Fred cast her another grin before disappearing behind a large bookcase.

'A bit overprotective, isn't he?' Aidan remarked as Judy walked back to him.

'Oh, I don't know,' said Judy. 'He trusts me enough to leave me in the library on my own,' she said amused as she sat down beside him.

'I'm just returning a favour, Byrne,' Aidan offered innocently.

Judy smiled as she rolled out her piece of parchment on the dark wooden table. She dipped the phoenix feather quill the twins had given her in the dark blue ink, holding it over the bottle as she thought on which letter to write first. It didn't take her long to decide.

* * *

_Dear Charlie, _

_Thank you for your letter. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying yourself working with the dragons. On the other hand, I have to admit I am not sorry to hear you miss me…because I feel exactly the same. No matter how short a time we spent together, I agree that it felt so familiar that I can't help but wish to see you again. I wish I could have let you known this sooner, but unfortunately something different than school has kept me from doing so…_

_You see, despite that part of me wants to protect you from this, I still feel I have to tell you that I've had another vision. A vision which cost me so much energy that I had to spend a few weeks in the hospital wing to recover. I assure you I feel much better now, though I am still a bit tired. I guess it will take me a while before I feel all better again. But even though I am not yet fully healed, I want you to know that despite the miles separating us, you've played an important part in my recovery so far. You see, there's something about you Weasley, something between us which gives me the strength to fight for my recovery, no matter how much energy I've lost. I know it sounds crazy as I write it down, but by simply holding the letter you sent me I felt your energy replenish my own. The only logical conclusion I can draw, is that just as you claimed I used my magic on you, you must have used yours on me. And for that I am very grateful…_

_As I told you at the Burrow my body and mind will probably get used to my gift in time…but what I couldn't tell you then was that in the meantime my visions may demand an even higher price __than I paid at the Burrow…_

_Which brings me to the reason of this letter. __As I said before, your letter had a protecting effect on me. It helped me recover from my loss of energy from the moment I touched it. It was then that I realised that with the visions that lay ahead of me, your protection is what I need to help me pull through. It was then that I realised that without it…_

* * *

Judy stopped writing as she reread the last line. She'd known from that night in the hospital wing on that going through with her plan could cost her more than she could pay. That even with all the preparations she planned to make the chances of her survival were slim. But it was a chance she was willing to take…if it would give her a chance to prove her father's innocence she'd never forgive herself if she didn't grab it with both hands. She'd missed him too much, she still loved him too much…too much to let him go.

Judy reached into her jeans pocket and drew out her wand, laying it on the last line she'd written. She mumbled a spell and the ink letters erased themselves up to her last dot. The sacrifice she might have to make was one she was more than willing to make…but she knew Charlie would never help her if he knew the truth. Judy tried to swallow away the lump in her throat as she realised there was no way for her plan to succeed without her lying to the man she'd promised herself never to lie to.

* * *

_It was then I reali__sed that everything might be a lot easier if I could have your protection with me. If I could have something to think of you instantly, for example a photograph. Just something that will help me form a clear picture of you whenever I need it. I hope you will grant me my request._

_In closing, I hope I haven't worried you too much with this letter. It's just that I've been keeping this a secret from so many people and I really felt the need to share it with someone. And there is no one else I would rather share this with than you. _

_I hope to hear from you soon,_

_Love, Judy._

* * *

She exhaled deeply as she lifted the tip of the quill from the parchment. She reread the letter carefully, making sure she'd written everything out as she had intended...making sure none of her words would transpire the fate that might lay ahead of her. After reassuring herself for the third time that the letter was written exactly as it should be she threw a thin layer of sand over the ink and put it in an envelope.

Now, for the second part of her plan…Judy picked up her quill again.

* * *

_Dear Dora, _

_How are you? I know it's been ages since my last letter, but I am sure __my uncle has informed you of what happened to me. You'll be glad to hear that I am doing all right now. Three weeks spent confined to a hospital bed made sure of that. Of course, I am still tired, but physically (and mentally) I am quite all right. I want you to keep this in mind as you read the rest of my letter. I assure you that every word written was well thought out. _

_Well, to begin…__I am sure my uncle told you that I passed out because of a vision. A vision I summoned myself. I cannot risk telling you everything about what I saw, but I can tell you the most important thing of everything I've seen. Something that will sound crazy, but I swear with my whole heart is true. He is innocent, Dora. She believed in him and she knew, she SAW he was and would remain innocent. And furthermore, she saw it as clear as crystal. I am sure you know enough about Sight to know the implications of her vision. And I know you know me well enough not do anything, unless I believe in it with my whole heart. I believe in him, Dora. It took me twelve years to realise it, but I do...with my whole heart. Therefore, I hope you'll understand that I have to See for myself what my heart has been telling me all my life. _

_Trust me Dora, I know that what I've written down sounds insane. But still, I hope you understand my reasoning and are willing to consider helping me in this. I still need to sort out how to do this without any severe consequences, but what I do know is that I can't do this without your help. I hope I'll be hearing from you soon. _

_Love, _

_Judy_

* * *

That would have to do, Judy thought as she put down her quill. She threw a thin layer of sand over the parchment before folding it up and putting it in an envelope. She lay her wand on the rim of the envelope muttering a spell under her breath to ensure Tonks would be the only one who could open it. Despite trying to keep the letter as safe as possible she knew that if it would fall into the wrong hands, she'd still be at risk. But with Tonks being such a vital part of her plan, she needed to take risks to convince her cousin to help her.

'Do you want me to post those for you?' asked Aidan, startling Judy.

'No,' Judy replied quickly as she put the envelope in her bag.

'Are you sure…I mean, you have to cross a lot of stairs on your way up to the Owlery.' Aidan explained.

'It'll be a good work out,' Judy offered with a smile.

'Jude…'

'Now who's being overprotective?' she offered amused. Aidan looked at her for a moment, before his lips curled up in a smile.

'Point taken…' he said guiltily. 'So, are you ready to help me with my homework?'

'You don't waste any time, do you?' Judy laughed.

'What? You didn't want me to be overprotective…' he offered as he laid his DADA book in front of her. 'Now, please explain to me why Lupin wears such shabby clothes…'

'And you're wondering how you got a 'P'…' Judy couldn't but laugh as she picked up the book. She would post the letters later that afternoon, she thought as she scanned the page, allowing herself to be a regular Hogwarts student on her first afternoon back.

* * *

Judy walked down the marble staircase alone that Monday morning. She'd waited for the others to leave the dormitory before getting up herself; she didn't want her friends to see how tired she still felt. Even her morning routine took up more time and energy than she'd expected, she could only guess how she was going to make it through a day of classes.

Judy grabbed hold of the banister as a bunch of first years rushed by her. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at the group running down the moving staircase. Despite what she'd been through in the past weeks, the knowledge of this part of her life always staying the same, managed to uplift her spirits.

'It's good to see you smile again, gorgeous.' Judy looked up and met Fred's eyes. She was glad she'd paid extra attention to her make-up and overall appearance, making sure every sign of her fatigue was properly concealed.

'You too,' said Judy honestly.

'Are you sure you're strong enough to face Snape?' asked Fred, a little concerned.

'I'm not worried about Snape,' she said absently, looking down as a mass of students filed out of the Entrance Hall and onto the marble staircase. It was easy to spot the two red heads, walking closely together. Despite the distance between them Judy couldn't help but notice Willow's pale complexion.

'How's Willow been?' Judy whispered, unable to ignore the emotions caused by the sight of her friend.

'Haven't you talked to her this weekend?' asked Fred confused.

'Not really…' said Judy guiltily, having done her utmost to avoid her best friend. She remembered all too well how angry Willow had been with her the last time they saw each other…she hadn't had the heart to face her friend and see those strong emotions again. Not in the state they both were in now.

'George says she's worried sick about you…' said Fred seriously.

'Is she?' asked Judy sceptically. 'I mean, last time I talked to her she yelled at me…and she didn't even sign the card the others gave me…'

'Yes, I saw that…' Fred mused. 'And I understand why you think that…but, well it's Willow. I mean, the Willow I know…'

'…would never abandon her friends,' Judy finished. She took a deep breath to still her emotions. 'She looks dreadful, Fred.'

'I know…George's been trying to help her, but she won't let him.'

'Help her with what?' asked Judy interested.

'Homework. Potions mainly,' said Fred. 'Ever since you…' he hesitated. 'Well, her grades have dropped drastically. It's like she's not able to focus…like her mind keeps wandering all the time. At least, that's what George tells me.'

'Knowing Will she probably won't tell him more…she always wants to fix everything on her own,' said Judy.

'That sounds familiar…' Fred said amused.

'I know…the pot calling the kettle black,' Judy agreed. 'I need to talk to her, Fred.' She said as she started walking down the staircase.

'No you don't…' Fred said gently as he put his hand on her arm.

'Fred…'

'Listen,' he looked into her eyes. 'I know you don't realise it yet, but you almost…well, you almost died three weeks ago.' Judy evaded his gaze. 'Look at me , Jude.' Fred said urgently. 'I know you. I know you want to be there for her, but you need to think about yourself now. You can't afford wasting your energy,-'

'But she's my friend, I have to…'

'You have to take care of yourself,' Fred pressed on. 'You won't help anyone by dying.'

'I am not going to,-'

'Aren't you?' Fred interrupted her. Judy looked down at her arm, where his hand still rested.

'Fred…' Judy looked up, now for the first time noticing the fear in his eyes. 'I need you to trust me.'

'I need you to do the same,' he said in a softer voice. 'George will help her through this, Jude.'

Judy nodded as she quickly wiped away a tear, knowing all too well that Fred was right. She knew that Willow needed her right now, and she wanted nothing more than to be there for her best friend…but in order for her plan to succeed, in order for her to prove her father's innocence, she couldn't afford spending her energy on anything else…not even her friends.

'Fine…I will trust you,' she said finally. She took his hand and lifted it from her arm.

'I need to hurry if I want to make it to Potions in time.'

'Then you better take this to make sure you don't faint on your way over there,' Fred said as he handed her a sandwich. 'I figured you'd be running late on your first day of school…' he explained.

Judy smiled as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. 'Thank you for looking after me.'

'Well, somebody has to,' Fred offered. He stepped aside as a group of students passed them. 'I'll see you at lunch, gorgeous.'

'Bye Fred,' Judy looked after him as he ascended the staircase. Her heart warmed as he halted on the fifth floor corridor to cast back a smile at her. It took her a moment to realise the sensation resembled the warmth she'd experienced when holding the card Charlie sent her.

She started her way down the stairs, realising that the bond she shared with Charlie, though strongest, wasn't the only one which could help her plans to succeed. If bonds of friendship could also provide her with energy and strength, she needed to make sure to strengthen those as well. Especially if others were weakening…she thought, seeing Willow's red blazing hair disappear from view.

* * *

Judy walked down the damp corridor, leading toward the dungeons, alone. Her conversation with Fred had taken up more time than she'd anticipated and she was now walking to the Potions classroom as quickly as possible. If there was anything she didn't need on her first day back, it was being late for Snape's class…

Judy entered the classroom carefully, scanning the room as she did so. Snape sat at his desk, his eyes on the papers before him. Judy didn't hesitate as she quickly moved to her desk and sat down. She took out her books, quill, ink and parchment, arranging them on her desk faster than ever before. As she looked up, however, she knew she'd failed at trying to fit back in without drawing any attention. Snape looked back at her with a malicious smile.

'Settle down,' he said in a raised voice. The other students fell silent. Snape rose slowly from his chair, his black cape rippling as he did so. He took his time to walk around his desk and he came to a halt in front of Judy's desk. 'Essays,' he said coldly. Judy rummaged through her bag and took out a roll of parchment. Snape arched a brow at her as she handed it to him. Judy couldn't supress a small smile.

'You finished it?' Willow whispered in disbelief as Snape walked away from them a moment later.

'Just barely,' Judy whispered back. 'I finished it last night.' Willow looked at her for a moment, before looking down at her book. Judy didn't know what words and advice went through her friend's head…but she was glad Willow didn't say anything further. She wasn't sure she could handle facing both Snape and Willow on the same morning.

The Potions lesson went as usual; Snape set them an impossible potion to brew. He walked passed the students, smiling as he noticed how the only Gryffindor in the class struggled with his assignment and how the Slytherin students were doing quite well. Connor and Chelsea too were well on their way to brewing the perfect potion. Judy and Willow had started out well, but without communicating at all, had gone wrong pretty soon into the lesson. Snape nearly grinned as he reached their desk.

'You may desist…' he said silkily. 'Once again you've proven that you do not deserve to be in this class…' Snape smiled as he whipped his wand at their brew. The fluid vanished instantly. 'You know Ms. Waters…' Snape spoke as he walked away from them. 'Even I expected better of you…'

Judy looked at Snape's back in disbelief. Willow sat down beside her, staring at the empty cauldron in defeat.

'But…'

'Don't,' Willow whispered. 'He's right…' Judy now looked at her with the same sense of disbelief. It was the first time since they'd known each other that she saw Willow like this. Defeated.

'Will…'

'Flask your potions and hand them in,' Snape said in a sinister tone. Judy looked at him for a moment, a bubble of anger forming in her heart as she noticed him looking down on Willow with a malicious smile on his face.

Willow kept her head down as she gathered her belongings. She didn't speak as she packed her schoolbag. She rushed out of the Potions classroom, bumping into a Slytherin boy as she rushed away.

'Don't even think of it, ….' Connor said in a dangerous tone, as the Slytherin reached for his wand. The boy gave Connor an annoyed look as he headed out of the classroom.

'What…' Judy began as she, Chelsea and Connor walked down the corridor. 'What just happened? I mean, Snape has always been mean toward her but this…and she didn't even say anything back…'

'Well, it's not like she can afford to with the way her grades have been dropping,' offered Connor.

'What do you mean?' Judy asked confused.

'He means that Willow hasn't really been keeping up with homework,' Chelsea explained as they walked up the marble staircase.

'That doesn't sound like Willow.'

'Well, to be honest, she hasn't been herself lately,' Chelsea replied. 'Not since …' she hesitated.

'…not since she found you.' Connor finished.

'Found me?' Judy asked confused. 'Willow found me?'

'Didn't anyone tell you?' Judy shook her head. 'She sent a Patronus to Professor Lupin and,-'

'Willow conjured a Patronus?' Judy asked in disbelief.

'Yes, I guess the threat of losing you gave her the strength to conjure a full bodied Patronus,' Connor mused. 'And as soon as she'd sent it she started with her healing spells. I overheard Lupin telling her that without those spells you might have…'

'Died.' Judy said, unable to withhold a tear. 'I can't believe she didn't tell me…'

'You can't?' Connor asked confused as they walked toward the Entrance Hall. 'Jude, you were on the brink of death…Willow knew you needed to spend all of your energy on your recovery. By the looks of you, you still need to…'

'Yes, I suppose I do,' said Judy quietly. 'But she needs someone to be there for her.'

'Well, isn't that what boyfriends are for?' Connor asked. Despite her own thoughts Judy couldn't help but notice the quick exchange between him and Chelsea.

'I've seen her with George quite a lot,' Chelsea added, ducking her head in the same way Judy did when she felt a blush coming. 'And Shania's been talking with her a lot.'

Judy looked at her friends, biting her lip as a feeling of guilt gnawed at her heart.

'You need to think about yourself, Jude,' said Connor reading her mind. 'Trust me, Willow has enough people around her to help her.'

'Yes, I know,' said Judy, unable to keep her lips from curling in a wry smile.

Thinking about herself, doing what her heart wanted to at this very moment was to rush after her friend and offer her the shoulder she obviously needed. She didn't stay away from Willow because she needed to take care of herself, she stayed away because she needed to take care of someone else. Someone who, in the end, might need her more than Willow did at this very moment.

'We'd better go,' said Chelsea, awaking Judy from her line of thoughts. 'Professor Binns mentioned something about a quiz coming up and I'd like to leaf through my books before he comes to class.'

'A quiz?' asked Judy surprised.

'Oh don't worry,' said Chelsea quickly. 'He knows you only left the hospital wing this weekend. He won't expect you to take it.'

'She's right, only Snape expects that…' said Aidan as he walked up to them with his familiar smile. 'Are you ladies ready to go?'

'We are,' said Judy, looking down at the arm he offered her. 'What do you expect me to do with that?'

'Use it to get up the stairs,' he said amused. 'You shouldn't strain yourself in your current condition.'

'Oh for Merlin's sake,' said Judy, 'please stop treating me as if I'm dying…'

'I will if you take my arm.'

'Fine,' said Judy in defeat, doing exactly as he asked. 'Now can we go?'

'I thought you'd never ask,' he said, leading her up the stairs. 'Are you coming?' Aidan looked over his shoulder at Chelsea and Connor.

'I'll be right there,' said Chelsea quickly. Judy put her hand on Aidan's cheek and turned his face back.

'Give them a little privacy,' she scolded as they walked on.

'But they'll see each other again at lunch,' Aidan rolled his eyes. 'You know, I'm ready to bet a Galleon that those two are going to take even longer to get together than Willow and George.'

'You know what?' said Judy, indulging herself once again as she slipped back into her normal sixteen year old life. 'I'm willing to take you up on that. I bet they'll be an item before the summer.'

'Ha!' Aidan's bark-like laugh took Judy by surprise. 'We've got a bet, Byrne.'

Judy shook Aidan's hand as they walked on, somehow noticing even more than before how much he resembled her father in his Hogwarts days with his dark locks reaching his shoulders, his slightly chiselled jaw, his boyish smile and the sparkle of amusement that never left his eyes. Judy tightened her hold on his arm and smiled at the memories reliving in her mind. And for the first time since she started working on her plan, realised that if it all went well, she'd finally be able to walk these same stairs on the arm of the father she'd missed out on for twelve years.

* * *

It wasn't until March that Judy finally managed to escape the castle. Since she left the hospital wing the month before she spent all her time on catching up on her homework, allowing herself to only put her own books down to help Aidan study his. In the scarce moments she had left she visited the library as much as she could, trying to work on the preparations for her plan. She searched the Divination section upon every visit and had found several books which seemed to be useful. But by the time she was finally able to read them, she quickly discovered they weren't specific enough for her plan and had discarded them. As a result, her search for information so far was unsuccessful to say the least, and with Easter quickly approaching that was not a comforting thought.

Judy looked back at the thick book on her lap, sitting alone in the Quidditch stands. She'd cast a spell on it to make sure the pages weren't affected by the weather; Chelsea would never forgive her if she hadn't. Judy lifted the dark green leather cover and scanned the golden intricate letters. _Magic of the Mind: the Gift of Foresight. _She'd borrowed it from her room mate that morning, deciding to go back to the basics to find her answers. Now she only had to leaf through 400 pages to find the information she needed...

Judy looked up as the pale winter sun slowly emerged from behind a deck of grey clouds. The Gryffindor Quidditch players flew over the pitch, their spirits unaffected by the cold as their uniforms stuck to their skin, soaked by the retreating winter shower.

Judy observed them from under her hovering umbrella, smiling at the familiar scene. The twins chased each other across the pitch, beating a Bludger to one another. Oliver and the Chasers practiced their aim at the hoops as Harry flew after the Snitch high up in the air.

She sighed as she looked back at her book, wishing she could put it away and spend the afternoon watching the Quidditch practice. She put a hand on her abdomen, unable to ignore the cold knot forming there as she realised how little time she had left to prepare.

'You're insane, you know that don't you?' Judy startled and quickly looked over her shoulder to see the origin of the voice…there was nobody there. She quickly looked over her other shoulder, but again did not see anybody. In fact, she was the only person in the stands.

'Who's there?' she asked cautiously, moving her hand to her right pocket where she kept her wand.

'Who do you think?' asked the female voice sarcastically. 'There can't be that many witches you know who spend their workday hidden on these grounds…'

'Tonks?' asked Judy surprised. 'Is that you?'

'Of course it's me,' she said exasperatedly.

'What are you doing here?' asked Judy confused.

'Well, you sent me a letter remember,' said Tonks seriously. 'We have to talk.' Judy looked at her shoulder as she felt a hand there. 'Classroom eleven?'

'Now?'

'No use in postponing it,' said Tonks as she lifted her hand from Judy's shoulder. 'I'll see you in a few minutes.' She didn't look back as the bench creaked when Tonks got up from her seat.

Judy put her book in her schoolbag, cast a drought spell on her umbrella and took it from the air. She got up from her seat and made her way to the stairs, stopping halfway as she realised she hadn't said goodbye to her friends. Her eyes met Fred's as she turned on her heel; apparently he'd noticed her leaving the stadium.

'Are you OK?' he mouthed.

'Fine,' she mouthed back. 'See you at dinner.' He nodded with a smile before returning to the practice session.

Judy held the strap of her schoolbag tightly as she left the stadium and made her way over the grounds. She couldn't help but glance at the Forbidden Forest every now and then, wondering if he knew what she had planned, wondering if he was watching her make her way back to the castle, wondering if his heart warmed as much as hers at the prospect of being reunited after twelve years.

'_Sirius is the only one you should trust.'_

Judy walked on as her mother's voice spoke in her head. It was the sentence which had convinced her of trusting her father, of trusting his innocence. A sentence which would never be strong enough to convince Tonks, Judy knew as she walked into the Entrance Hall.

She sighed as she turned and made her way to classroom eleven. No matter how many times she'd practiced the conversation in her head, she knew that there was only one way to convince her cousin, and that was to convey the feeling she had in her heart. Unfortunately that wasn't an easy task…

Judy looked over her shoulder to make sure the corridor was deserted and then entered the silent classroom. Tonks already sat waiting on a desk as she entered. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a pink sweater and matching sneakers. Her hair was also pink, though not as bright as usual. Judy recognized the change of colour as a sign that her cousin was troubled. Tonks waited for Judy to close the door and then cast a Muffliato spell.

'There,' she said, meeting Judy's eyes. 'Do you want to start or shall I?'

Judy dropped her bag to the floor. 'I think I said what I wanted to in my letter. You start.'

'All right,' said Tonks, leaping off the desk. 'Well, let me start with the fact that I think you're absolutely bonkers…'

'Thank you,' Judy said, failing to supress a smile.

'I'm not joking, Jude,' said Tonks seriously as she walked toward her. 'Do you realise you almost died from that vision you summoned?' she asked in an urgent tone.

'Yes,' said Judy quietly.

'Then how can you ask me to help you summon another?' Tonks asked in disbelief.

'Because I will be better prepared this time,' Judy answered. 'I'll be better protected against the consequences than I was last time.'

'And how will you manage to do that?' Tonks asked sceptically. Judy looked at her for a moment, only now realising she would have to tell her cousin about the bond she shared with an adult wizard in Romania.

'I'll tell you, but you have to promise me not to say a word to Remus.'

'Trust me, Jude. I have no intention of telling Remus about any of this…'

'OK,' she drew a deep breath. 'I have a boyfriend.'

'You…what?' asked Tonks surprised. 'Since when am I left out of the loop of your love life?' she asked, unable to keep herself from slipping into the role of friend again.

'Since my boyfriend is of age,' said Judy carefully.

'Of age?' asked Tonks. 'Is he a seventh year?'

'He used to be,' said Judy, evading Tonks' gaze.

'Do I know him?' Judy smiled as she saw her cousin look at her with nothing but curiosity. It felt nice to talk to her about this, the same way they had when they both were still at Hogwarts.

'Yes, you do,' said Judy truthfully. 'He was in your year, though not the same house.' Tonks' eyes widened. 'It's Charlie…Charlie Weasley.'

'Merlin's beard…you managed to catch him then, after all those years of quietly fancying him?' she exclaimed, unable to withhold her excitement about the news. 'Remus is going to kill the both of you if he finds out.'

'Which is exactly why he cannot know,' said Judy quickly.

'Yes…I understand,' said Tonks, her tone once again serious as she brushed a pink lock from her face. She started walking up and down the room, something she always did when she was thinking. 'What I don't understand is how Charlie fits into your plan.'

'Well, when I awoke in the hospital wing, there was a letter from Charlie,' Judy paused. 'I was feeling very weak, but when I took his letter and read it it warmed my entire body. That letter helped me regain my energy,' Judy explained. 'So I have asked Charlie to send me something to remind me of him instantly. A photograph.'

'You told him?' asked Tonks surprised, stopping in her tracks.

'I asked for a photograph to feel better,' said Judy. 'That's all he knows.'

Tonks turned on her heel and met Judy's eyes. 'Does he know you're a Seer?'

'Yes, I've told him that,' Judy smiled as she remembered how understanding Charlie had reacted to that revelation. She took the coral on the silver chain around her neck and rolled it between her fingers.

'What about your friends?' The pink haired woman looked at her intently.

'No,' Judy shook her head. 'I haven't told them.'

'Why not?'

'Because…' Judy sighed as the memory of the vision she had of her mother in her teenage years returned to her mind. 'Because I don't want them to think I'm a freak. I don't want to lose them.'

'You don't want to lose them?' asked Tonks interested as she pushed herself back up on the desk. 'You know, I've been here more than once in the past weeks, Jude. I've hardly seen you with your friends. You talk to Fred and George every now and then, but you and Willow don't even look at each other anymore…'

Judy looked at the ground as she spoke, allowing her long raven black hair to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. 'Willow hasn't been feeling well, because…'

'…because she saved your life,' Tonks finished. 'Because she's seen her best friend getting more and more ill over the school year and then finds her on the brink of death.' Tonks met her eyes as she looked up, confused that her cousin knew this. 'She didn't sign that card, because she couldn't take seeing you like this, not knowing what was happening to you. Do you have any idea how powerless she feels?'

'How do you know all this?'

'Because I've talked to her,' she paused. 'Remus immediately alarmed me and my parents when you were found. He thought you were dying and wanted to give us a chance to say goodbye. I sat at your bed for the first few days, and so did Willow.' Tonks chose her next words carefully. 'Judy, I don't think you will lose her if you tell her you're a Seer. I think you'll lose her, if you don't tell her. And in time, I think the same will go for Fred and George.' Judy didn't speak as she allowed Tonks' words to sink in.

'I don't know if I can, Dora,' she said finally. Tonks looked at her sympathetically.

'I'm afraid you'll have to,' she said. 'Listen, I'm sure your bond with Charlie is strong but you'll need more than a photograph from a boyfriend to get through this. You can't survive this without your friends.' Tonks cast her a reassuring smile. 'They will understand, Jude.' Judy looked at her cousin, suddenly realising what she was doing.

'Hang on…you're helping me,' she stated.

'I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that one out…' said Tonks amused.

'But, a few months ago you yelled at me for believing in Sirius' innocence. I mean, you just said I was insane.'

'I didn't take that back,' said Tonks with a smile, leaping off the desk and walking toward her. 'Listen Jude, I've known you since you were a baby…and I know you well enough to know you've made your mind up about this. You're going to do this with or without me…I just want to make sure you're going to survive.'

'But, I still don't understand,' said Judy in earnest as Tonks stopped in front of her. 'Why aren't you angry with me? Why aren't you trying to talk me out of this?'

Tonks looked at her sympathetically as she brushed away a tear from Judy's cheek with her thumb. 'Last year I was angry with you for believing in Sirius' innocence because you simply had no proof. But now you've Seen your mother's belief in him…I mean, I'm not saying that just because she believed in Sirius that he is indeed innocent. But from the short time I've known her, and from what others have told me, her visions were never wrong.'

'But,-'

'I just put myself in your shoes, Jude,' Tonks explained, her eyes turning moist as well. 'I mean, if it were my Dad I wouldn't stop at anything to prove his innocence. No matter what the cost.' Judy looked at her cousin for a moment, unable to hold her emotions back any longer. She flung her arms around her neck and gave her a tight hug. Tonks smiled against her cheek.

'Thank you,' she whispered, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. 'Thank you for not letting me do this alone.'

'Don't thank me yet,' said Tonks as she pulled out of their embrace. 'Easter isn't that far off and we have loads of stuff to do.' Judy nodded in understanding. 'Like I said you have to strengthen your bonds with your friends, but that won't be enough.'

'What else do I have to do?'

'Well, it would be helpful to know more about Foresight and what could help to summon the right vision. You'll only get one shot at this so we need to make sure you See what you need to See.' said Tonks, thinking. 'Did you have any luck with those Divination books I've seen you walking around with?'

'None,' said Judy truthfully. 'I just haven't had the time with all of the homework I have to do for the exams.'

'That's what I thought,' said Tonks. She looked at Judy for a moment before speaking again. 'Listen, I'm not too fond about the idea myself, but…have you thought about talking to Trelawney?'

'The thought has crossed my mind,' said Judy honestly, her heart shrinking a little at the prospect of facing the Divination teacher. 'Do you really think she can help us?'

'Well, I doubt her Inner Eye will be of any use…I mean, it wasn't working in the years I was at Hogwarts,' she added, making Judy smile. 'But I bet she's read nearly every Divination book in the library. I'm sure she'll be able to help you with how to summon the vision you need.'

'I suppose you're right,' said Judy with a sigh. 'OK, so I have to figure out a way to tell my friends I'm a Seer and I have to face the teacher I've been avoiding since I started here six years ago…anything else?' she offered, as her heart threatened to sink deeper than ever before.

'Not for now,' said Tonks truthfully. 'I mean, it shouldn't be hard to keep this from Remus since he'll be staying at Hogwarts for Easter.'

'What about your parents?' asked Judy.

'Don't worry about them. I'll figure something out,' said Tonks, running her fingers through her pink hair. 'There's bound to be one day I can take you *shopping* without them asking questions…'

'Yes, there's bound to be,' Judy agreed.

Tonks nodded, her eyes looking past Judy's. 'Yes, I'll worry about them and you focus on your friends and your talk with Trelawney.'

'OK,' said Judy, as she bend over and picked her bag up from the floor. Tonks still had her eyes fixed on the wall behind her as she slung her bag over her shoulder. Judy recognized the look of concern all too well; it was identical to the cold feeling threatening to freeze her heart. 'I guess I'd better get back,' she said in an effort to avoid talking about the inevitable.

'Yes, so should I,' said Tonks, much to Judy's surprise. She hadn't expected her cousin to let her go so easily.

'I'll see you at King's Cross then?'

'Yes…' said Tonks absently. Judy quickly turned on her heel and made her way to the door. Her hand barely touched the doorknob as Tonks let out a deep sigh. 'Jude…'

She kept her back to her cousin as she replied. 'Yes?'

'You will survive this, won't you?' she asked, unable to keep a tremor from her voice. Judy turned on her heel to meet Tonk's concerned gaze; her hair was an even paler shade of pink than before. She closed her eyes for a moment as the memory of what Tonks had said when they last saw each other returned vividly to her mind.

_'Jude, I know you've never lied to me in your entire life...'_

'Of course I will.' The lie came more easily than she'd anticipated. She'd expected her heart to break as she lied to the only person in the world she'd always been truthful to…she hadn't anticipated to feel nothing at all. 'I'll be all right, Dora.' The concern in her cousin's eyes lifted as Judy cast her a reassuring smile.

'Good,' Tonks said relieved. 'I don't know if I can forgive myself if anything happens to you.'

'Don't worry,' said Judy, 'with all the necessary precautions I will be all right.' Tonks nodded. 'I'd better get back, Fred will be wondering where I've gone off to.'

'Yeah, of course. I'll see you at King's Cross.'

'See you there,' said Judy, still wearing her fake smile as she turned back to the door and walked outside. She closed the door carefully as a flock of students crossed the Entrance Hall in the distance, not wanting to attract any attention.

Her smile faded as she walked on and the realisation of what she did dawned on her. The numb feeling she had before was taken over by a sense of fear and sadness. The sense of relief she'd felt only moments ago faded back into loneliness as she realised she could never tell Tonks about the possible consequences of her vision.

For there would be consequences…Judy knew all too well that summoning the vision would cost her more energy than ever before, even with all of her preparations she didn't know whether she'd survive. It was a sacrifice she was more than willing to make for her father, she'd do anything to prevent his soul being taken by the Dementors; she knew she'd never forgive herself if she didn't try.

Judy wiped away a tear from her cheek as a horrible feeling of foreboding grew in her heart. For the first time that year she wished her gift had developed normally; for the first time she wished she could see the future.

'Jude?' She turned on her heel to meet Fred's eyes. He looked back at her, once again concerned, as she rushed toward him. Before he could react Judy threw her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. 'Jude, what…'

'No questions,' she whispered as she laid her head on his still soaked Quidditch robes. 'Just hold me for a while.'

'Your wish is my command,' he replied, obviously faking the amused tone as he too held her tightly.


	17. One shots: Sirius' POV & Charlie's POV

**Author's note: **Hello everybody. I'm glad to know that you all are still joining me on this journey! Unfortunately once again it's been a while since I've been able to publish a chapter. I'm currently working on chapter 17, but as (once again) it's taking me longer than anticipated I wanted to give you all something in the meantime. I wrote the two one shots below months ago, but I haven't published them here until now.

I realise that in the last few chapters (and in the one shots below) Judy might come across as a Mary Sue. I've always known that by making her a Seer I'd risk her becoming a Mary Sue. However, by showing what her *gift* is costing her, I hope I'm portraying her character and her emotional journey as believable.

l'm eager to hear what you think of these one shots, because there might be more of these in the future.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Stranger in the castle - Sirius POV**

It was dark. Utterly dark in the narrow passage. He walked on his paws, squeezing himself through the rubble blocking the passage. His tongue hung out of his mouth as he breathed heavily. He was tired...no, exhausted. The rain, the cold and the lack of food had taken his toll on him. But the anger inside, the fire of revenge burning in his heart, drove his legs to move even faster. He had to get inside of the castle, he had to have his revenge, he needed justice to be served...after all these years...he'd finally kill him.

Sirius stopped as he reached a solid, even wall. His paws sank into the mud as he pressed his nose against the stones. He closed his eyes as he felt for the small button and pushed it as he reached it. The wall moved aside slowly, grinding over the stone floor as if it hadn't moved in years. Sirius thought with a grin that that was probably true.

He walked into the corridor carefully. Despite knowing that everybody was at the Halloween feast and the excquisite smells confirming that fact, he couldn't be careful enough. Everything depended on tonight, he'd never get a chance like this again. He sneaked behind a statue of a wizard he'd never cared to remember and transformed into his human form. As he quickly looked around the corridor to make sure he was indeed alone, his eyes fell on a mirror across from him. He couldn't help but stare at his reflection.

His once handsome, youthful face now looked grey, pale and sunken. His sparkling eyes had faded into grey pools which reminded him of omnious rain clouds. His long dark hair stuck to his head with the greasy splitting ends hanging over his shoulders. The blue and grey striped prisoner's uniform hung looseley around his emaciated body. Sirius felt as if he were looking at a stranger...there was nothing left of the young, mischievous man who'd dazzle every woman with his seductive smile. Nothing left of the friend he'd been for the people around him...nothing left of the man who once loved a woman more than life itself...nothing left of the father who'd held his daughter on stormy nights until she fell asleep in his arms...

Sirius sighed as he looked at himself. He hadn't realised until now that on top of losing his lover, friends, godson and daughter he'd lost himself as well.

He startled as he heard the grinding of stone. He rushed to a nearby alcove and pressed his back against the wall. He looked down the corridor and saw to his surprise that the hump of an all too familiar statue opened. He listenened carefully, picking up a boy's and a girl's voice. Only a few seconds later a mass of long red hair emerged. Sirius blinked hard to make sure that he wasn't seeing things...but as the girl looked around the corridor he realised it wasn't Lily. A moment later a girl with long dark hair followed and then twin boys with the same violent red hair as the first girl.

Sirius tried to listen to what they were saying but as he looked at them his attention was drawn by something else completely. A large piece of parchment which one of the boys tapped with his wand. 'Mischief managed'. Sirius whispered the words along as his lips curled up in a grin. James would have been proud knowing that their invention was used by a new generation of trouble makers.

'Sounds like Filch is on the fourth floor,' said one of the boys, 'if we hurry we can make it to the Great Hall before him noticing we've been here.'

'Sounds like a good plan,' said the other as he took the red haired girl's hand and pulled her along. Sirius quickly hid in the shadow of the alcove, holding his breath as the two boys and girl stopped at his end of the corridor.

'Jude?'

'What?' She said in a voice which stirred his memory.

'Come on (!),' said one of the boys urgently.

'I'm not…I'm not going,' she said absently. 'I mean, look at me…I need to take a shower first.'

It couldn't be, he thought as his mind raced. Out of all the students he could have run into, he'd never counted on it being her. He'd never dared to hope it could be her.

Sirius awoke from his reverie as the two boys and the red haired girl rushed to the marble staircase. It would be safe now, he thought quickly as he dared to look around the corner. He only caught a glimpse of the girl as she quickly hid behind the statue of the hump backed witch. But he'd seen more than enough. Her long dark wavy hair, her almond shaped eyes, the rosy colour of her lips...there was no mistake that she was Briana's daughter...that she was his little girl.

'Anything there, my sweet?'

Sirius instinctively pressed his back against the wall as he heard the man's voice. He looked down at the cat strolling up to him, hiding himself as much as he could. The cat meowed, but didn't seem to notice him. It turned around and stalked off back to its master. Sirius let out a quiet, relieved sigh allowing himself to relax a little as the man disappeared from view. He waited for him to descend the stairs, before relaxing his muscles completely. That was one less thing to worry about...but the other...

He waited for a moment, fighting the urge to run to his daughter after twelve years of separation. He had other matters to attend to...others matters which outweighed the feelings coming back to his mind. But to see her again after all these years...he was torn...torn between love and revenge...torn between holding his daughter and killing the man who'd destroyed everything he cared about...he quickly made his choice...he straightened up and was about to step out of the alcove as his eyes fell on his reflection in the mirror. On the emaciated, pale, dirty man staring back at him as he realised that he didn't have a choice.

Sirius pressed himself against the wall again as the young girl suddenly ran down the corridor. He looked after her, cherishing the moment and knowing that revealing himself to her in the state he was in now, would never bring him the reunion he had hoped for for all these years.

* * *

He ran up the staircase half an hour later, his mind finally returning to his task after been taken up by too many bittersweet memories. He didn't have much time he realised as he reached the Fat Lady's portrait. She was sleeping and he nudged her forcefully to wake her up.

'What? Where...I say...' she said offended.

'Let me in,' Sirius said urgently.

'Well, I never...'

'Let me in,' said Sirius again. 'You have to,-'

'Password?' asked the Fat Lady haughtily.

'Listen, you don't understand. This is a matter of life and death.'

'Oh I see, well in that case...password?' she repeated.

'I don't know the bloody password!' Sirius said heatedly.

'I'm sorry, I can't let you in without a password.'

'Fine...Pumpkin Pasty, Canary Cream, Flobberworm, Acromantula...'

'No, sorry. That's not the password,' said the Fat Lady, annoyed. 'Now, if you'll excuse me.'

'Listen, you stupid hag. I have to get in...if you won't let me, I will let myself in,' said Sirius angrily.

The Fat Lady laughed nervously. 'What do you mean let yourself in...' she let out a high pitched scream as she noticed the shiny dagger in his hands.

'I see you get my point,' said Sirius triumphantly.

'But I can't...I can't let you in without...' the Fat Lady stammered.

'Listen, you let me in or I'll...' Sirius threatenened as he waved the dagger around dangerously.

'I...can't...' said the Fat Lady helplessly.

'Let me in, you stupid…'

'No, on…only those who ha…ha…have the password may…may enter,' she said half-sobbing, half-screaming.

'Oh you…' Sirius swore as he held up the dagger and slashed the painted cloth.

'No! Leave her alone!' He stopped at the sound of her voice. He barely registered the Fat Lady fleeing her picture as he turned on his heel. He was breathing heavily due to the anger raging on inside of him. The young woman below dropped a pile of clothes she'd been holding as he looked down on her. Her eyes were filled with fear and he quickly lowered his knife as he stared at her in disbelief. The resemblance to her mother was unmistakable. 'Judy...'

He looked into her blue eyes for what seemed to be forever. There were so many things he wanted to say to her...so many things he wanted her to know.

Below, the sound of students filled the staircase. The Halloween feast was over and...Sirius realised with a pang of regret...so was his chance. Judy broke their eye contact, starled by the sounds of voices. He didn't think as he broke into a run up the stairs. Despite knowing he had to press on, he couldn't resist turning in the doorway and casting her one more glance. He savoured the moment before continuing his way down the corridor and to one of the other secret passages he still remembered.

He sneaked into an alcove, pushed against the left wall and quickly squeezed himself into the narrow corridor behind it. It was partly caved in, much like the other passage he'd used. But narrow corridors were never a problem for him in his Animagus form. He transformed back into the black dog and treaded down the passage carefully. And...for the first time since his escape from prison...despite having missed his chance of killing the man who'd destroyed his past...he felt a little spark of happiness in his heart.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Christmas at the Burrow - Charlie's POV**

Charlie sat with his back against the wall as he stared at nothing in particular in the small bedroom. His hands lay folded on his lap, enclosing a smooth black rectangular case. The pale winter sun cast its warm rays through the small window, bathing his muscled arms in a pale orange glow. He looked down at his biceps for a moment, thinking of the irony about being able to handle the toughest dragons with those muscles but not standing a chance against the charming young witch downstairs. In fact, for the first time in his life he felt clumsy and clueless...and even, though he hated to admit it, a little afraid.

Girls had never been Charlie Weasley's best territory. He had never understood the endless chatter, giggles and batting eyelashes. Truth be told he never bothered to understand it either. Animals had had his heart for as long as he could remember. There was nothing mysterious about animals. No hidden messages, no ambiguity to their ways, no secrets. That was why he'd always liked them, as opposed to girls animals were anything but complicated. That's why he'd never paid any attention to girls in the past. That is...until he met her.

The moment he met Judy that past summer, he knew she made something inside of him stir. Something he'd never felt before. A desire, a longing, a need...a need he didn't even know existed in his heart. He'd never been lonely before, he thought as he remembered the years he'd spent in Romania, alone in his small cottage in the woods. The dragons had kept him busy during the days and his thoughts usually lingered with them when he was at home. He'd never missed having someone waiting for him at home, having someone to greet him with a kiss and ask how his day had been, having someone to love... having someone to love him back. He'd never missed any of that in the past years...but he had missed it more than anything since he'd met Judy.

'I thought you were going to try to catch up on some sleep?' a familiar voice asked amused.

'I will in a moment,' said Charlie truthfully as he looked at his elder brother.

'Do you want to talk about it?' Bill asked seriously.

'Haven't you had enough of it yet?' asked Charlie amused.

'Come on, Charlie. I'll never get tired of seeing you like this...' Bill said amused as he entered the room.

'Thanks. That's just the pep talk I need...' Charlie said a little annoyed. Bill didn't respond as he closed the door. 'How am I going to do this, Bill?'

'How do you want to do this?' he asked curiously.

'I don't know,' said Charlie truthfully. 'I mean, I haven't seen her in months...I can't just walk up to her and say...'

'And say what?' asked Bill interested. Charlie arched a brow at him.

'I don't want to scare her off, Bill,' he said seriously. 'I mean, I don't know how she feels  
about me...'

Bill laughed. 'I'm sorry, but didn't you pay any attention at all just now at the kitchen table?'

'Well, I don't know,' said Charlie unconvinced. 'I mean, the way she is with Fred at times...'

'Yes, I know,' said Bill, as he leaned against the door post. 'I've seen it too, but Judy  
says they're just best mates.'

'And what did Fred say?' asked Charlie interested.

'Haven't had the heart to ask him yet,' said Bill truthfully. 'I mean, if he does like her...'

'...then he'll jinx me first chance he gets,' said Charlie, only half-amused. 'Tell me, is  
it always this complicated?'

'Only when the girl is worth it,' said Bill with a smile. 'And I think she might be,' he continued. 'I mean, I don't know her all that well, but from what I know about her, I can understand why you like her.'

'Like her?' asked Charlie amused. 'I don't think that quite captures it...'

'Oh?' asked Bill interested as he crossed his arms.

'Just tell me how to do this...' said Charlie annoyed.

'Well, I don't know. I mean, you have to do what feels right...what did you have in mind?'

'Well, I wanted to give her this...' said Charlie, handing his elder brother the rectangular case.

'I thought you didn't get her...' Bill paused as he saw the silver chain with the red coral. '...anything.'

'Do you think she'll like it?'

'I think 'like it' doesn't quite capture it...' said Bill amused. 'This is beautiful, Charlie. She'd be mad not to love it...'

'Good, then that'll be one less thing to worry about...' said Charlie as he took the dark  
case back from his elder brother. Bill smiled at him, shaking his head in amusement as he did so. 'What?'

'When do you want to give it to her?'

'I don't know...I was thinking tonight after dinner.'

'Not under Mum's gaze, I hope?' said Bill amused.

'No, of course not...' Charlie sighed. 'You know, I've been so busy worrying about her  
feelings for me that I almost forgot about that part...'

'Well, you'd better remember it soon,' Bill warned. 'You're both going to have to keep this a secret, if you want to give this a proper chance.'

'I know,' said Charlie seriously. 'Nobody will understand. Mum and Dad will kill me...and her uncle will probably use the Cruciatus curse on me. I know it will not be easy, but I also know... it'll be more than worth it,' he said with a smile. 'It'll be more than worth it, Bill.'

'I'm sure she will be,' he offered with a genuine smile.

'Bill!' Ginny's voice called up the stairs.

'Ah, I'd better get downstairs. I promised Ginny I'd play a game of wizard's chess with her.' Bill  
explained as he opened the door. 'Try and get some rest. You'll need your strength tonight...'

'Yes, I suppose I'd better. Thanks, Bill.'

'Anytime,' he smiled at Charlie before walking away and closing the door behind him.

Charlie lay the dark rectangular case on the nightstand as he cast another glance at the pale  
winter sun. He smiled as he laid down on his side and he pulled a blanket over his shoulder as he closed his eyes.

It would be more than worth it, he thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

She would be more than worth it.


	18. Chapter 17

**Author's note: **Hi everyone. My apologies once again that's it's been almost a year since I posted chapter 16. A big thanks to all of you who took the time to review my story. Your feedback is an important motivation for me to see this through till the end. So please, keep those reviews coming! This chapter was difficult to write and in many ways it actually turned out different than I had planned; but I think it's for the better. Hope you enjoy it :).

**Chapter 17**

**Confessions**

The dark blue sky, adorned with pale white stars, slowly retreated as the sun rose from behind the green mountains. Hogwarts castle shone with a pink and orange glow, a beautiful contrast with the green surroundings. Spring was definitely on its way as every day, more and more trees showed a hint of blossom. Though the birds and animals in the Forbidden Forest awoke to the rising sun, Hogwarts itself was still quiet as its inhabitants were still sound asleep. Safe for one dark haired witch whose eyes were transfixed on the vast forest in the east.

Judy stood before the window, her arms crossed tightly in front of her, pressing a small blue book against her chest. She closed her eyes as the first morning rays fell on her face, allowing the warm light to calm her nerves. She had to, because the knowledge that she'd be boarding the train back to London in three weeks, didn't calm her at all.

There was still so much to be done, Judy thought as she opened her eyes again. In the three weeks she had left, she had to find a way to visit Trelawney without drawing any suspicion, she had to tell her friends about her gift and worst of all she had to make sure Sirius remained in hiding and not do anything foolish...though she wasn't sure she had any control over that last matter.

Judy looked down at the blue book, focusing her thoughts on the tales James used to tell her, allowing the calm feeling to take over her heart. She held the book up in front of her, trailing the letters with her fingers and smiling as she noticed the white corner, sticking out of the pages. She opened the book to look at the red haired man smiling back at her. Charlie looked as handsome as ever with his red hair ruffled by the breeze and his freckles standing out against his tanned skin. Judy turned the picture over to read the few lines he'd written on the back.

* * *

_I'm here for you. _

_Love, Charlie._

* * *

She smiled as she felt the magic of their special connection warm her fingertips. The feeling calmed her, assuring her that some things were going according to plan.

'I can do this,' Judy whispered, breathing in deeply as the magic coursed through her veins.

'Do what?' Judy startled and dropped the small blue book to the floor. The photograph, having managed to escape its hiding place, lay face up on the floor. She quickly bent over to pick it up and then turned on her heel.

Willow looked back at her from the bottom of the winding staircase, leading up to the dormitories. Her complexion was as pale as ever, making the dark circles under her eyes stand out even more than usual. Her hair was pulled back in a scruffy pony tail. A full shoulder bag hung from her left shoulder.

'You're up early,' said Judy, trying to make her voice sound casual.

'So are you,' retorted Willow. 'And that's not an answer to my question…' Judy met her eyes for moment, seeing a mixture of anger and sadness in the brown irises.

'How are you, Will?' she asked sincerely.

Willow rolled her eyes. 'There you go again, changing the subject.'

'Will, I'm serious. I'm worried about you,' Judy continued.

'Well I was worried about you too…since we started in September. I don't remember you caring enough to tell me what was really going on in your head. So, I don't see any reason why I should care enough to tell you…' she said, her voice trembling with rage. Judy couldn't do anything but stare back at her former best friend, unable to speak the truth she owed her. 'I'm off to the library,' Willow said, turning on her heel and storming out of the common room.

'Will…' Judy's voice broke as Willow disappeared from view. She quickly wiped a tear from her cheek, sighing as she did so. She still had so many things to do…

'Willow?' A familiar voice called as Judy heard someone thundering down the spiral staircase. 'Willow?'

'She went to the library,' said Judy as a dishevelled Shania appeared before her.

'And you bloody let her go?' said Shania, approaching her. 'Have you even noticed the state she's been in lately?'

'It's hard not to,' said Judy calmly as Shania looked back at her fiercely.

'What's happened to you, Jude?' she asked. 'She's always been there for you, to care for you, to protect you. And now when she needs you most you turn your back on her?'

'Excuse me?' said Judy ,taken aback. 'If you haven't noticed, I haven't been quite myself lately either.'

'You've been yourself enough to study properly and get a good evaluation from Flitwick. You even found some energy to help Aidan with his studies…' said Shania heatedly. 'But Willow, your best mate…do you know she got the worst evaluation out of all of us? If her grades don't change any time soon, she'll ruin her chances of becoming a Healer.'

'Well, knowing her she won't accept my help anyway,' said Judy defensively.

'It still would be nice of you to offer…' Shania retorted. 'Merlin's beard, Judy. She saved your life and you're repaying her by allowing her to ruin her own!'

'I am not responsible for her choices, Shania!' Judy yelled back at her. 'I don't care how angry you are with me, this is not my responsibility!'

'If you were really her best mate you would make it your responsibility! Or at least share the load with her!' Shania raged on.

'Hey! What's going on here?' asked Aidan as he approached them in his pyjamas. 'Some of us like to sleep late in the weekends…'

'Stay out of this,' said Shania dangerously, keeping her eyes on Judy. 'You have to help her.' She pressed on, locking her eyes with Judy.

'No, I don't,' Judy retorted. 'She's got George and,-'

'She _needs_ you,' Shania continued. 'She'll never let anyone come as close as you. You can't turn your back on her.'

'I'm not,-'

'Yes, you bloody well are!' Shania yelled. 'You're so self involved you don't even see it!'

'All right, that's enough,' said Aidan, stepping in between them and blocking Judy from Shania's view. 'I think you need to calm down.'

Shania cast him a nasty look. 'Go ahead, protect your girlfriend…'

'Girlfriend?' asked Aidan taken aback. 'Hang on, don't tell me…are you jealous?'

'Why you…evil goblin!' Shania yelled at him, before turning on her heel and running back up to the dormitory.

Judy quickly wiped away another tear as Aidan turned around to face her. She only stared at his chest, trying to control her emotions as she pressed both the book and Charlie's picture tightly to her chest.

'Don't let it get to you. I'm sure she didn't mean,-'

'Yes, she did,' Judy interrupted him. 'She meant it. I saw it in her eyes. She hates me…'

'Shania can get a little intimidating when she's angry,' said Aidan, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. 'She's just feeling helpless, because Willow won't let her in.'

'I know…Willow doesn't let people in easily, not since…' Judy broke off as she met Aidan's eyes.

'See? If it's anyone's fault it's mine…' Aidan offered.

'It doesn't make any sense though, we were just first years…' said Judy.

'Willow's always had trust issues,' Aidan mused. 'And having her catch me snogging another girl wasn't the best way to break up…' Judy shook her head with a smile; Aidan really was like her father. 'Listen, if you want to talk.'

'I do,' said Judy, contemplating her next words carefully. 'But if you don't mind, I'd rather…'

'Talk to a Weasley?' asked Aidan amused.

Judy nodded. 'Do you mind?'

'Nope,' said Aidan with a grin. 'I don't mind a chance of getting back to bed. I'll see you somewhere this afternoon.'

'Sleep well,' Judy returned his smile, watching him turn and head back up the staircase. She closed her eyes and savoured the silence in the room for a moment, trying desperately to postpone the inevitable. She sighed finally, clinging onto the small sparkle of confidence she felt as Charlie's magic slowly left her body again. She decided to let it slip, knowing she would be in much stronger need of the energy a few weeks from now. She'd have to draw magic from something else now…a friendship she hoped would never be broken…not even by finally revealing the truth.

She was going to Fred…and she would tell him everything.

* * *

Judy sat on the cold marble staircase, the blue book with Charlie's picture inside, still pressed against her chest. She was shivering slightly despite the thick purple sweater vest wrapped around her. Her baggy jeans didn't protect her skin at all from the cold rising up from the floor. She looked over her shoulder again. The security trolls, guarding the portrait of the Fat Lady, looked back at her with a dangerous sparkle in their eyes. She'd totally forgotten about the heightened security, having managed to slip into the Gryffindor common room a few times before…with the help of the twins of course.

She'd always loved those moments, having a chance to look around the common room her father and his friends had spent their Hogwarts' years in. To trail the chairs and bookcases, hoping to sense something of their presence, perhaps even an old memory she'd lost along the years. Those moments always managed to lift her spirits when she felt alone, just the simple knowledge that she shared a place with the people she'd once considered her family .

Judy looked over her shoulder as she heard the portrait swing open. She got to her feet as she recognized the red headed boy stepping out of it. He didn't notice her at first as he swung his scarf around his neck and slipped his hands into his mittens. When he finally looked up and met her eyes he stopped dead.

'Hello George,' she said hoarsely.

'Hi,' he replied curtly. Judy knew all too well why he was keeping his distance; she'd felt their friendship slipping from her grasp ever since she left the hospital. Though George had never spoken of it, she knew at least part of him resented her for not helping out Willow now that she needed her best friend most.

'Where…where are you off too?' Judy asked, trying desperately to make her voice sound casual.

'Willow,' said George, unable to hide the accusing tone in his voice. 'She usually goes out for a stroll when she can't sleep…and she's had a lot of trouble sleeping lately.'

'Yes, I know…' said Judy evading his eyes. 'But I'd check the library first if I were you. She headed there this morning.'

'The library?' asked George, concerned. 'I suppose you weren't able to stop her?'

'She didn't really give me a chance,' said Judy truthfully. George looked at her, sceptically. 'George, I,-'

'I have to go,' he said quickly, walking past her. Judy turned on her heel and looked after him as he made his way down the marble stair case. She couldn't do anything but take a long deep breath to still her emotions as she tried her utmost not to hate herself for neglecting her friends.

'Well, what a lovely surprise!' Judy quickly turned back at the sound of the familiar voice. 'Good morning, gorgeous.' Fred smiled at her as he reached her side. 'To what do I owe this pleasure?'

'I need to talk to you…alone.'

'Alone?' asked Fred, unable to hide his interest. He cast a glance at the trolls behind them. 'They don't understand English, so I guess we are alone…'

'OK,' said Judy as she sat down on a marble step and pulled Fred down with her.

'Merlin's soggy…these stairs are freezing!' He exclaimed. 'Don't tell me you've been sitting her all morning...'

'I have, so don't you start complaining about the ten minutes you'll have to spend on them,' said Judy, knowing all too well that her irritation had everything to do with the time she'd spend with the other twin a few moments ago.

'OK, you're right, sorry…' said Fred carefully.

'No, I'm not…' Judy shook her head. 'I'm sorry, it's just I've got so much to do and…' she ran her fingers through her raven black locks. 'You know how I've been telling you and George and Willow that whatever I was going through I had to do it on my own?'

'Yes…' said Fred, unable to hide his curiosity.

Judy nodded. 'Well…I can't handle it on my own anymore. And I promised you that if I needed help, you'd be the first to know.' Fred looked at her expectantly. 'I'm… I've been having visions.'

'Visions?' asked Fred confused.

'I'm a Seer, Fred.' Judy said quickly, eyeing him for a reaction.

'A Seer?' he still looked at her, confused. 'But…you've never had any visions before, have you?'

'No,' Judy answered. 'It only started this past summer. That's why I haven't been handling it well...because it's developed so suddenly and not gradually as it usually does.'

'I see…' he said quietly.

Judy couldn't bare to look at him in the silence that followed. She hugged her legs, staring at the marble staircase and feeling a cold that had nothing to do with the cold stone beneath her. Her heart was freezing again, freezing with the fear of what Fred would think of her, as she remembered how her mother had been considered a freak by her former friends. How they'd shunned her as soon as they discovered her so called gift. She still hated that word.

'I don't understand…' Fred spoke finally. 'Why didn't you tell me before?' Judy looked sideways, surprised by his reaction.

'There's nothing you could have done to help me,' she explained.

'I could have been there for you,' Fred retorted. 'And make sure you didn't have to face this on your own. I can't believe…I mean, you must have been frightened, at first at least.'

'I still am,' Judy said truthfully. 'I hate not being able to control it…I mean, if I try to stop it then…well, you saw what happened to me at the Burrow. And last time when I tried to take control and summon one…' Fred looked at her, appalled.

'That's what happened?' he asked taken aback. 'You summoned…why? Why would you summon a vision if it has this effect on you?'

'I didn't expect it to have such an effect on me, I didn't think I could…die from it,' she said defensively. 'And I summoned it because…because there's something I need to See.' She admitted, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

'You need to see the future?' Fred asked confused.

'No…a memory,' she said truthfully. 'It's hard to explain, but my Sight is developing differently. I can't see the future, Fred. I see the past.'

'And something happened in the past, that you need to See?' he asked slowly. Judy nodded. 'But if you try to do so then…'

'I wasn't prepared,' said Judy truthfully. 'But I should be able to See and live, if I know what to do to protect myself.'

'And you need my help doing that?' asked Fred confused.

'There's one person in this school that can help me,' said Judy heavily. 'But I'm…I'm afraid to go to her alone.'

'Then I'll go with you,' said Fred quickly. Judy cast him a thankful smile. 'I think you've gone through this on your own long enough.'

'Thank you, Fred,' she said. 'You really are a good friend.' She leaned over and kissed his cheek. He looked at her as she pulled back, once again with a mix of emotions in his eyes that she couldn't untangle.

'So,' he said, clearing his throat. 'Which person are we going to see?'

'Trelawney,' said Judy heavily.

'Trelawney?' asked Fred amused. 'You're going to rely on her Inner Eye?'

'No,' said Judy quickly. 'Just her theoretical knowledge…she has to know how I can protect myself from the aftermath of my visions.'

'Yes, she might,' said Fred, not convinced.

Judy looked at him for a moment. 'Fred, I want to do this without drawing too much attention. I mean, I want to tell Willow and George, but as for the others…'

'I understand,' he said quickly. 'Not everybody feels comfortable around Seers. We'll find a way to do this without drawing attention.'

'Good, because I was thinking,-'

'You know what,' Fred cut her off. 'I think with your restoring health and all your homework, you've got enough to worry about. How about I worry about this? I'll arrange for you and Trelawney to meet without anybody noticing.'

'Are you sure that's not too much trouble?' asked Judy worried. 'I mean, you've got your OWLs…'

'As if I'd ever pass those,' said Fred amused. 'No, I'll take care of this…and it's about time you start taking better care of yourself.' He said, standing up, taking her hand and then pulling her up as well. 'How about we start with breakfast?'

'OK,' Judy smiled as he took her hand and pulled her along. Her smile only grew as a warm spark ignited in her heart and fed her hope that she might not have to go through it all on her own after all.

* * *

The next few days felt like the longest days Judy had ever experienced in her life. Her fall out with Shania had caused a ripple throughout all of her friendships. Shania and Willow were now both ignoring her, Abigail and Aidan on the other hand grasped every opportunity to show their allegiance by ignoring the other two girls and Connor and Chelsea seemed to be caught somewhere in the middle.

Her friendship with the twins too, had changed. Much to Judy's regret she saw very little of George these days, who obviously spent most of his time with Willow. And whenever she saw Fred, she couldn't help but notice how he too was torn. She'd made up an excuse to be alone on several occasions, just to avoid having to see that look in his eyes.

When it came to school work, however, nothing had changed. The teachers insisted on setting the sixth years loads of homework so they would have enough to do during the upcoming holidays. And Snape, as expected, was thriving on the cracks in the class' friendships. Not only did he manage to notice every mistake Willow made, but since he discovered the broken friendship between the two, Judy too had to endure his long held wrath.

A wrath she couldn't quite explain, she thought, as she sat in Transfiguration that Friday afternoon, staring out of the window while the rest of the class listened attentively to McGonagall's talk about Animagi. Having a father who was just that and having read nearly every book about the subject, Judy's mind had wandered early on in the lesson leading her from Snape to the tasks that lay before her. Because even with Fred taking care of her talk with Trelawney, she still had to tell two of her best friends that she'd been lying to them for years…

'Ms. Byrne?' an all too familiar voice withdrew her from her reverie. Professor McGonagall surveyed her over her glasses.

'Yes?' asked Judy, as she realised she was the only student left in class.

'Are you all right?'

'Yes,' she said, quickly picking up her bag from the floor. 'I'm fine.' She stuffed her parchment into her bag. 'I just…I guess my mind just wandered for a moment.'

'Well, considering your excellent essay on Animagi, I can imagine today's lesson was boring you…' said Professor McGonagall amused.

'I'm sorry, Professor,' said Judy, blushing.

'No need to apologise, Ms. Byrne,' said the older witch. 'My goal is to bestow knowledge on you, if you already have it it's only understandable that I lose your attention. Although, I am quite intrigued by your interest in the subject.' Judy carefully met her eyes. 'Is there any special reason why you've taken a personal interest in Animagi?'

'No,' she replied. 'I suppose I'm just fascinated by shape shifting.'

'Is it something you wish to pursue?' asked McGonagall. 'If you do, I am sure you have the talent to do so.'

'Talent?' asked Judy, as her heart jumped in her chest; as far as she knew Dumbledore and Lupin were the only teachers who knew about her bond with Sirius.

'Yes…with a Metamorphmagus in your family I am sure you have an advantage to others wizards who wish to become Animagi.' She explained.

'You know?' asked Judy confused.

'Yes, I know Tonks is your cousin,' said Professor McGonagall seriously. 'And I know…Sirius is your father.' Judy gasped at the statement.

'What? How?' she blurted out.

'Professor Dumbledore thought you might need an extra pair of eyes looking after you,' she said calmly.

'That's very kind of him,' said Judy, unable to hide her sarcasm; the last thing she needed right now were extra eyes on her.

'Yes it is,' said Professor McGonaggal seriously. 'The more eyes on you, the safer you will be. I am sure you've heard about Harry's Christmas gift?'

'The Firebolt?' asked Judy. 'The one you all investigated only to find that it was nothing more but a gift from a godfather to his godson?'

'You'd do best to mind your tone, Ms. Byrne,' said Professor McGonagall sternly.

'I will, if you promise not to stalk me around the castle,' she said defiantly.

'Now listen here!'

'No, you listen! I've been hiding all my life. I've been watched all my life. And right now I am sick and tired of it. I've always been at my best behaviour, I have never told anybody who I really am. Not even my friends. Do you have any idea what it's like having to lie constantly to your friends? To not be honest with the people you care about? The people you love?' Judy swung her bag over her shoulder. 'I don't need an extra pair of eyes on me. What I need is a little trust. And if you all choose not to give me that, well then I hope Sirius will come and find me. Because if anything, he's always been a loving father.'

'He's a,-'

'He is NOT a murderer!' Judy yelled, leaving McGonagall speechless as she stalked out of the classroom.

She nearly raced down the corridor, warm tears staining her cheeks as anger and sadness bubbled inside of her. She knew that she couldn't have done anything more stupid than she just did; her outburst would only guarantee the pairs of eyes she'd wanted to avoid. But she was through with all the secrecy, through with all the pretence. She loved her father and she was more than willing to risk her life to clear his name. At the end of the school year, she thought with a mingle of joy and anger, everybody would know. Everybody would know her father was an innocent man…she was going to prove it.

* * *

That Saturday afternoon Judy walked down the marble staircase alone. She'd allowed herself to sleep in, giving her body a chance to replenish the energy it yearned for. The common room was deserted when she'd finally decided to get out of bed, meaning the others must have already gone down for lunch. Unlike a few months before, Judy was thankful she could walk down the marble staircase alone. The calm atmosphere was a welcome change from the constant tension between her and her house mates.

She counted her steps as she walked on, taking her time as she looked at the moving paintings covering the walls. It was the first time that year that she took such notice of her surroundings, having been caught up in her thoughts since her father's escape. She smiled as she reached the Entrance Hall, grateful that she'd had the opportunity to see Hogwarts the way she'd done as a first year and marvel at its beauty.

The hustle and bustle of lunchtime washed over her like a tidal wave. She drank in the warmth of the room and students as she stood in the doorway, the energy of the scene made her fingers tingle. She couldn't help but glance at the teachers' table, where Lupin sat, watching her with a small smile. His eyes, however, showed his concern and Judy guessed McGonagall must have told him about her outburst the other day. She didn't linger on the thought for too long, trying to enjoy her life as a Hogwarts' student and not think of the path that lay ahead.

She looked down the House tables, glancing left and right to find her friends. George and Willow sat at the Gryffindor table, talking animatedly with Lee Jordan. Their gestures indicated Quidditch was their topic of conversation. Shania sat a few seats away from them, opposite her younger brother Deacon. At the Ravenclaw table Aidan and Connor had decided to join the seventh years once again. Chelsea sat with her younger sister Evelyn, both swallowed by their textbooks as they absently ate their breakfast. Judy finally glanced at the Slytherin table, guessing correctly that Abigail had chosen to join her friends there.

'Looking for someone?' asked an all too familiar voice, making her startle.

'How many times do I need to tell you that's not funny?' Judy said, a bit shaken, as she turned on her heel. Fred only grinned at her.

'Have you checked the teachers' table?' he asked.

'Not really,' said Judy truthfully. She turned back and glanced at the row of teachers sitting at the long wooden table in the distance.

'Guess who's missing?' said Fred amused.

'Trelawney,' Judy whispered.

'That's right. She's probably upstairs reading tea leaves and waiting for us.'

'Waiting for us?' asked Judy confused.

'Well, if her Inner Eye is as good as she claims it to be…' Fred explained. 'So, shall we?'

'But, Lupin…' Judy said, glancing back and noticing he was still looking at her.

'Worst case scenario he'll think we're sneaking off to snogg…'

'Fred, please!' Judy said, not sharing his amusement.

'This may be the only chance you get, Jude.' He said seriously as their eyes met. She didn't speak, but only nodded as she allowed him to take her hand and lead her back into the Entrance Hall.

They rushed up the deserted stair case, their footsteps echoing on the marble. Judy clung onto Fred's hand, ignoring the pain of her empty stomach as she tried to keep up with his pace.

They reached the North Tower within minutes and only slowed down slightly as they made their way up the tightly spiralling steps. They reached the landing, both of them panting from their run.

'Was that…' Judy drew a deep breath. '…really necessary?'

'Well…you wanted…secrecy…' said Fred hoarsely as he looked up.

Judy followed his gaze to the circular trap door. There was a brass plaque on it reading 'Sybill Trelawney, Divination teacher'.

'How does this work again?' asked Judy, as she'd never been to the Divination class room before.

'Well, usually…' Fred rolled his eyes as a silvery ladder descended in between them. 'I swear, she must have an Extendable Ear or something…'

'Try Inner Eye…' Judy smiled as she took hold of the silvery material and climbed the ladder.

Judy took her time to look around the classroom which reminded her of a Muggle antique store. The room was filled with small circular tables, chintz armchairs and little pouffes in all colours imaginable. The shelves lining the walls were even more packed than the shelves in Lupin office. Except instead of magical creatures, there were teacups, candles and feathers. The smell of cheap perfume filled the air and it was unusually warm. The dim lighting made it seem like it was late in the evening, though it was only morning.

'Hello?' Judy asked, as Fred climbed up beside her. 'Professor Trelawney?'

'Come closer, dear,' a soft voice spoke from the other side of the room. Judy could barely make out the outlines of a person in the half darkened room.

'Where are you?' Judy asked, as she carefully moved forward in the room she'd been avoiding for almost six years.

'Closer, dear,' the voice repeated as Judy neared the centre of the room. Fred followed in her wake, remaining by her side as he had promised.

Judy stopped as a woman appeared from the shadows before her. Her appearance resembled Willow's elaborate descriptions in every single way. Judy quickly suppressed a smile as she remembered her conversations about Divination with her best friend.

'Just as I expected,' said Professor Trelawney as she moved closer and observed Judy through her large glasses. She stopped in front of the younger witch and stared at her for what seemed to be forever.

'You expected us?' Fred asked curiously.

'Of course I did,' said Professor Trelawney quickly. 'The Inner Eye is infallible.'

'Right…' he rolled his eyes.

'But I wasn't referring to myself,' Professor Trelawney explained. 'I was referring to your friend and how much she looks like her mother.'

'You knew my mother?' asked Judy surprised.

'Only by reputation I'm afraid,' said Trelawney in her misty voice. 'But there's no mistake, the long dark ebony hair, the almond shaped eyes. You are Briana Byrne's daughter.'

'Yes, I am,' Judy said unable to hide her pride. 'So then, if you knew my mother, you know why I am here?'

'The Inner Eye Sees everything, dear,' Trelawney ignored Fred's snort as she guided Judy to a small circular table. 'Tea?'

'No thank you,' said Judy. 'We don't have much time. I don't want anybody to know about this.'

'Tsk, tsk…your gift is nothing to be ashamed of.'

'Nonetheless,' said Judy quickly. 'Nobody can know about this.'

'All right, I understand. Sight can be intimidating to some,' she said, casting a glance at Fred, who looked back at her unimpressed.

'I need to summon a vision. A very important vision,' she said, contemplating her next words carefully. 'I'm afraid I'll only have one chance to do it. So I need to know how to summon the right one.'

'And she needs to know how to do so without killing herself.' Fred added quickly.

'I see,' said Trelawney as she motioned for Judy to sit down. 'Well, you will need an object related to whatever you wish to See.' She said sitting down as well.

'I had one with me last time. But it wasn't enough…I need more to make it easier for my mind and body to See.' Judy looked back at the other woman in anticipation.

'Well…' she said thinking. 'I suppose there's always the location. The closer you are to the place of the event, the easier it is to See.'

'What else?' asked Fred annoyed.

'Excuse me?' Trelawney cast him a glance of dislike.

'Objects, locations…that's got to be in every Divination book.'

'Fred…' Judy sighed, not having counted on his emotions.

'No, this is not enough, Jude.' Fred turned back to Trelawney. 'There has to be something else.' Trelawney looked from him to Judy. She didn't speak as she got up from her seat and walked to the window.

'I'm sorry, Professor,' said Judy as she got up as well. 'He didn't mean to offend you.' Trelawney didn't respond as she looked out the window. Judy cast Fred a knowing look.

He rolled his eyes before speaking. 'I was out of order. I'm sorry.'

'You're worried about her,' said Trelawney in understanding as she turned on her heel. 'And you should be.' She looked at Judy. 'If you attempt to do this without having proper control of your Inner Eye,-'

'I have control,' Judy retorted. 'I just need…I need something to make it easier…' she said for the lack of a better word. 'Please, Professor. You know more about Divination than anybody else at Hogwarts.' Trelawney's lips curled up in a small smile, clearly flattered by Judy's statement.

'There is one more thing…' said Trelawney, her voice sounding more misty and mysterious than usual. 'A method that has proven effective in the past…but I cannot..'

'Please,' Judy pleaded as she crossed the distance between them. 'I don't care what it is, or what it will cost me. I'll do anything.' She stopped as she heard the desperation in her voice and realised Fred was still standing beside her. Trelawney turned on her heel and looked out the window again. Judy couldn't help but look sideways to see the concerned look in Fred's eyes.

'It's and old technique,' Trelawney began. 'Very old….' She took a deep breath before turning around. 'And very dark.'

'Dark?' asked Fred taken aback.

'What is it?' Judy cut across him.

'Well,' Trelawney continued, fondling with one of her bead necklaces. 'First, you must swear to me that you will not talk to anybody about this. Not about what I am about to tell you, nor that you heard it from me.'

'I promise,' said Judy impatiently. Trelawney looked at Fred through her huge glasses.

'I promise,' he said in defeat.

'All right,' said Trelawney with a hint of relief. 'In the old days, dark wizards and witches believed that certain animals had magical abilities. They believed a fox able to read thoughts, a salamander to poison you by just locking its eyes with yours and they believed a certain animal to be able to See. To See beyond the veil clouding human eyes, to See into different worlds. Worlds of life and death. Worlds of the future and the past.'

'What animal?' asked Judy curiously.

'A cat,' said Trelawney.

'But that's just a fairy tale,' said Fred dismissively. 'Didn't you tell me Muggles give cats these special gifts in their stories all the time, Jude?'

'Ah yes,' said Trelawney with a smile. 'But even Muggle stories have an origin in the real world, Mr. Weasley. The magical world to be more exact.'

'A cat…' Judy mused. 'How does it work? I mean, what do I have to do?'

'It's not difficult, really,' Trelawney said. 'You take a cat with you to the location where you want to summon the vision. Then you hold the cat in your hands and lock your eyes with it, concentrating on the vision you wish to See. The cat will then guide you into your vision.'

'That shouldn't be too difficult,' said Judy, with a hint of relief.

'No, except for one thing…' said Trelawney, her voice once again misty and mysterious. 'While a cat can help you enter the vision…it cannot guide you out. You are the only one who can stop it. That is why it is absolutely vital that you have control over your Inner Eye…'

'What if she doesn't?' asked Fred, unable to hide his concern. Judy closed her eyes as Trelawney spoke again. 'Then her mind will not be able to return to our time. It will lose itself in the vision.'

'Jude,-'

'I can control it,' she said quickly. 'Is there anything else I need to do?' she said, keeping her eyes on Trelawney.

'No,' she replied, eyeing Judy warily. 'But, remember only if you have,-'

'I have control,' Judy repeated, ignoring the cold knot in her stomach. She met Fred's eyes and cast him a knowing look. 'Thank you for your help, Professor,' she said, after silencing her best friend.

'Not at all. You will stay for tea?' Trelawney asked eagerly. 'I would gladly read your tea leaves…'

'No, thank you,' said Judy quickly. 'I'd rather not hear what lies ahead.'

'But surely, your Inner Eye must be tested before,-'

'It surely doesn't,' said Fred quickly as he took Judy's hand. 'Thank you for seeing us, Professor.'

'But,-'

'Goodbye,' said Judy with a courtesy wave as Fred pulled her toward the silvery ladder. She quickly descended, Fred following her closely, as Trelawney talked on to try and stall them.

'There,' Judy said as they reached the bottom. 'That went smoother than I expected.'

'Smoother?' asked Fred, unable to hide his anger. 'Why did you lie and tell her that you have control over your visions?'

'Fred!' Judy hissed, looking up at the trap door. She took out her wand and swung it shut with a spell, casting a Muffliato spell after it to make sure Trelawney would not be able to eavesdrop.

'You do not control it, Jude,' said Fred, still tense. 'If you're finally being honest with me, than you have to be honest about this as well.' Judy looked at him for a moment, biting her lip as she thought of how much truth she would tell him…how much truth their friendship could handle.

'Fine, I do not control it, at least…not entirely,' she said truthfully. 'That's why I needed Trelawney. That's why I am taking every single precaution there is…to make sure that what little control I have is enough.'

'Enough to what? Survive?' asked Fred, taken aback. 'Are you telling me that, even with all of those precautions, you may not survive this?'

'You wanted the truth,' said Judy in a calm voice.

'But, what…why on earth would you take that risk?' asked Fred confused. 'Just for a vision?'

'Because it's important,' said Judy quickly.

'But,-'

'I'm sorry, Fred. I can't tell you more, you just have to trust me,' she said, pleading him to stop asking further.

'Well, then I can't help you anymore,' he said, turning on his heel and walking away from her.

'Fred, no!' Judy hurried after him. 'Fred, please. Please stop.' She grabbed his arm as she reached his side. He easily pulled it out of her grip and descended the stairs.

Judy's heart broke as Fred walked away from her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt everything slip away through her fingers. She knew that even with all her precautions, the warmth of friendship would still be the most important of all. If her attempt went terribly wrong she needed her friends to be there. She would need their bonds to bring her back, otherwise nobody would ever know the truth about her father. She wouldn't be able to tell others about Sirius' innocence if she wouldn't be able to return to consciousness.

'Fred, wait!' She called as she rushed after him, down the tightly spiralling steps. 'I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!' she said desperately, making him stop in his tracks.

'Everything?' he asked sceptically, as Judy stopped before him.

'Everything,' she confirmed as she tried to catch her breath. 'But you have to…you have to promise you will not tell anyone.'

'I promise.'

'No matter what, Fred,' said Judy seriously. 'Nobody knows about this, apart from Remus, Dumbledore and the few relatives I have left.'

'I promise, Jude,' said Fred softly. 'I won't tell anybody.' She eyed him for a moment, before leaning in and holding her hand against his ear.

'I need to have this vision,' she whispered, 'because it is about my father.'

'Your,-'

'Shhh!' she said quickly. 'He's been falsely accused of murder and chucked in Azkaban for it.' She pulled back, to see the look in his eyes.

'Azkaban?' he asked confused. Judy nodded, taking a deep breath before leaning in again.

'My father is Sirius Black.' She waited a moment before pulling back. Fred looked at her, flabbergasted.

'You are…' he whispered in disbelief. 'You can't be.'

'I am,' said Judy truthfully. 'I know it must be hard to believe, with everything I've been telling you these last years. But I've been sworn to secrecy all my life, for my own protection. And right now, I think it's also best for his.'

'How do you know he's…' Fred continued in a whisper. 'Innocent?'

'Because of my visions,' Judy whispered back. 'Because I've Seen how my mother believed in him, unconditionally. And she was able to See the future. She knew he would never harm those he loved.'

'But that's not good enough, is it?' asked Fred, in understanding. 'I mean, I understand it's good enough for you, but for others…'

'If I can See what actually happened, Dumbledore will have to believe it,' said Judy, looking in his eyes. 'I can't live with myself if I don't try this, Fred. Please, try and understand. If this works, I'll…I'll get him back. I'll have a father again.'

'I understand,' Fred sighed, as he brushed away a tear from her cheek. 'But that doesn't mean I like it…'

'I don't either,' Judy agreed. 'And if there was any other way…I have to do this and I need your help.'

'Well, what can I say, Byrne?' he said with a small smile. 'If you don't have a choice, then I don't either…'

'Thanks, Fred,' said Judy with a sigh of relief. 'You have no idea how much this means to me.'

'I think I do, gorgeous,' he smiled at her. 'How about you go lie down for a while and have a rest? I'll find George and Willow and tell them you want to talk to them. How about tonight before dinner? Classroom eleven?'

'OK,' said Judy, feeling weary with all of the tension of that morning. 'But Fred, I don't want them to know about,-'

'That's what I thought,' said Fred, thinking. 'Listen, if you're not going to tell them everything then they won't understand why you want to have this vision, no matter what the cost…' He paused.

'Then what should I tell them?' asked Judy, feeling her heart shrink, since she knew she needed all of her best mates to support her in this.

'Tell them what you told me, except…leave the part about wanting to summon another vision out.'

'You mean keep lying to them?' asked Judy disappointed.

'You'll tell them one day,' said Fred reassuringly. 'Just not tonight. I'm afraid there's no other way.'

'I know,' Judy admitted in defeat. 'But that doesn't mean I like it…'

'I think that goes for all of us,' Fred said with a small smile as he took her hand. Judy didn't speak as he led her down the tightly spiralling steps and back to the marble staircase. They went their separate ways from there, Judy up to Ravenclaw tower and Fred down to the Entrance Hall…each trying to ignore the cold knot in their stomachs.

* * *

Judy stood in a dark corner, pressing herself against the cold stone as in the distance students made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. She didn't know how long she'd been standing there, waiting for her friends to arrive. Her back felt as cold as the stone wall and her legs were feeling tired from standing perfectly still all this time. She wasn't all too conscious about her discomfort, however, as a mixture of fear and excitement coursed through her veins.

She'd tried to take Fred's advice to rest that afternoon, but her efforts turned out completely in vain; all she could think about were George and Willow and how they would react to her confession. All sorts of scenarios had run through her mind, more bad than good, but in the end she realised no matter how hard she tried she wouldn't be able to predict their reactions. Whatever they would be, she would have to make the best of the bonds they would share in the end. However fragile they may be.

Judy startled as something brushed passed her leg. Duncan looked up at her with his yellow eyes. She squatted and gently stroked his head, smiling as he purred at her touch. It felt good to know he'd be at her side to see her through whatever was to come; it made her feel less alone.

'Jude?' she looked up and met Willow's eyes with her own.

'Hi,' she said hoarsely, as she got to her feet. 'Are you…are you alone?'

'No, the boys are on their way down. We said we'd meet here.' She explained.

'Oh OK,' said Judy, unable to hide her nerves. 'Listen, I'm sorry about…' her voice failed her as she looked at her friend.

'Ah, there you are,' Fred said in his ever cheerful voice. 'How about we get in before one of the teachers catches us?' He held open the door for the others to enter, casting Judy a small wink as she passed him. 'Would you mind, Jude?' he asked after closing the door.

'Right,' she said, taking out her wand. 'Muffliato.' She kept her eyes on the door as she put her wand back in her pocket, taking a deep breath before turning around to see the faces she'd been avoiding the past weeks.

Willow sat on one of the front desks, her legs dangling as she stared at the wall opposite her. Her pale features were coloured by the light of the setting sun and her red hair blazed with a warm glow. For a moment Judy thought she looked just as healthy as she always had. However, her thoughts were brought back to reality as a cloud passed before the sun and Willow's ill look returned.

She looked away from her friend to look at George, who watched Willow with concerned eyes. Judy could only guess how powerless he must feel to see his girlfriend in the state she was in now, knowing she'd rather take it all on on her own and cave trying, before asking anybody's help.

'Jude?' Fred said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder.

'Yes…' she said in understanding. Duncan sat down at her feet, having followed them inside and as always sensing her tension. 'Well, first of all…I want to thank you both for coming. I mean, with everything that's happened, I wasn't sure you'd give me a chance to explain it all…'

'That's all we've been doing lately…' said George accusingly. 'You're the one who didn't take those chances.' Judy nodded as she looked at him.

'You're right,' she admitted. 'I didn't. But after today, I hope you'll understand that that had noting to do with me not wanting to tell you the truth.'

'Then why didn't you?' said Willow quickly.

'Because I was afraid to lose you,' said Judy truthfully.

'Lose us?' asked Willow sarcastically. 'Jude, by not telling us,-'

'I know. By not telling you, I've risked just that,' she agreed. She smiled as Fred squeezed her shoulder. 'That's why I'm telling you know…because I hope I'm not too late to win back your trust. Both of your trust,' she said, looking from Willow to George. 'All of you have been there for me in these past years,' she said, laying her hand a top of Fred's, to make sure he realised her words were meant for him too. 'And I've been repaying you this past year by shutting you out, and making you stand by to watch me fall more and more ill. I can't even imagine how that must have made you all feel,' she said, her eyes meeting Willow's. 'I am so sorry.' Willow looked back at her, casting down her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. George got up from his chair and sat down beside her, putting his arm around her and drawing her close.

'I never meant to hurt any of you,' said Judy truthfully.

'Well, you did.'

'George,' said Fred warningly.

'No, Fred,' he retorted. 'Don't defend her. She's put us all through a lot this year, and it's taken more toll on Will than she's willing to admit. And no matter how many speeches she's got prepared, she can't change what she did.'

'You're right,' said Judy quickly. 'I can't change what I have and have not done, and I can't change what I put you through, but I hope…' she took a deep breath. 'I hope that by telling you now, you'll both be willing to give me a second chance.'

The silence that followed was the most uncomfortable one Judy had ever experienced. Willow did her utmost to stifle her sobs, but now that she finally showed her emotions she had great difficulty stopping her flood of tears. George sat next to her, his arm wrapped tightly around her, whispering soothing words in her ear. Judy closed her eyes, concentrating on Fred's hand on her shoulder and Duncan's weight on her feet ensuring herself it was all going to be all right. It had to be…

'What…' Willow paused as she steadied her breathing. 'What is it? What is this secret you've been keeping from us?' She met Judy's eyes.

'I'm…I'm a Seer,' Judy said carefully.

'A Seer?' asked George, taken aback. 'But you've never had any visions…'

'Not until last year,' said Judy truthfully. 'And it's the reason why I've fallen ill so many times these past months.'

'What do you mean?' asked Willow confused.

'Well, Seers are born with Sight. And usually their visions start at a young age. But for some reason, my visions only started last year. So I've been having full blown visions, without the gradual development that usually precedes it,' Judy explained.

'Do you mean, it's too much for you to handle?' asked George.

'Yes,' said Judy. 'My mind and body were, and still are, not fully prepared for my visions. They cost too much energy…and that's why I've been falling ill.' The other two looked at her for a moment.

'Why didn't you tell us?' asked Willow.

'Like I said, Will. I was afraid I'd lose you. I was afraid…I was afraid you wouldn't want to hang out with me anymore,' she said, not meeting her friend's eyes.

'Come on, Jude,' began George. 'We've been mates for years, we'd never walk out on you over this!'

'You really thought I'd throw away our friendship?' asked Willow, taken aback.

'No…but part of me was afraid you would. I know that when I say it, it sounds crazy…but I had a vision about my mother… all her friends walked out on her when they found out she had visions, so…'

'You were afraid we'd do the same,' said Willow softly. Judy smiled as she noticed the gentle tone in the other girl's voice.

'Yeah well, that doesn't change the fact that you should have known better,' George retorted. 'Or that you should have said something as soon as you realised what it was doing to her.' He continued, his arm still around his girlfriend's shoulder.

'I know. I'm sorry…' she said feebly.

'Yes, we heard that…'

'George…' said Willow reproachfully.

'Will, she,-'

'Listen, Jude,' said Willow, ignoring George as she met the other girl's eyes. 'When you tell it like that, I think we both understand why you did it.' Judy's heart lightened. 'But understanding it, doesn't change that you've been keeping this from us, even though you knew how badly I've been coping…' she paused. 'You can't expect me to just forgive and forget. I mean…I would never have let you go through something like that alone…' she said, breaking their eye contact.

'Will,'

'Don't,' she said quickly. 'I understand, but that's it. You have no right to ask more of me…not anymore,' she said, as she slid off the desk.

'But,-'

'She's right, Jude,' George agreed as he to got to his feet. 'You can't ask more of us.'

'But I need you,' Judy pleaded, despair once again threatening to take over her heart. 'Please. I need both of you to,-'

'I'm sorry,' Willow said hoarsely as she passed her.

'Willow!' Judy moved to follow her, but Fred held her back. 'Please, I need,-'

'Too late, Jude,' George said, before walking outside. Judy stared after him as the door fell shut with a thud, doing her utmost to keep the reality of her situation at bay.

'No…Willow, George!' she tried to run after them, but Fred held her back.

'You tried, Jude,' he said gently. 'May be in time they'll change their minds, but running after them,-'

'Time?' asked Judy as she turned on her heel. 'Time is exactly what I don't have, Fred.'

'Well, it's exactly what they need!' he retorted. 'And if you won't give it to them, then you'll only push them away further.'

'But I have to do this now, during the holidays, or I might never…' Judy's voice died as she met Fred's eyes. She couldn't stop her emotions from taking over anymore, having just put all her energy in strengthening her friendships, only to realise she'd acted too late. Her knees buckled and she sank to the floor.

Fred was quick to respond, catching her right before she hit the ground and lowering her gently. He sat down with her, drawing her in his embrace as her tears now ran down her cheeks unchecked. Judy barely reacted to his touch, completely taken up by her thoughts. She didn't even register Duncan leaping on her lap, not until he'd walked around a few times and finally found a spot to settle.

'It's all going to be all right,' Fred whispered gently. 'You'll see. It's all going to be all right.

* * *

The following two weeks were nothing more than a blur. Judy spent so much time lost in thought about the upcoming holidays that she barely registered anything in class, meaning she'd also missed out on the homework set for Easter. Fortunately Chelsea was more than eager to help her sort out the books that she'd have to take with her to her aunt Andromeda's.

She walked down the marble stair case alone, having said goodbye to Fred after breakfast that morning. Judy had guiltily handed him and George their Birthday presents, having forgotten to give them on their Birthday two days before. He'd offered to go with her to the station, but she'd refused, not wanting to shed any more tears than she already had these past weeks. She'd decided she was through with feeling sorry for herself, and even if her situation wasn't ideal, she'd just have to make the most of it.

'Performing magic out of class?' a familiar voice asked, suddenly. Judy startled.

'What?' she asked confused as Lupin approached her in his faded robes.

'Your trunk,' he gestured with a small smile. 'Don't worry, I won't tell anybody,' he said reassuringly as Judy cast a glance at her hovering trunk.

'Thank you,' said Judy with a small smile, not meeting his eyes.

'And you're not travelling alone after all, I see?' Lupin smiled as he looked at Duncan in the wicker basket Judy held in her left hand. 'Look after her, will you? She won't let me do so anymore…' Judy looked up at him.

'That's not true, Remus,' said Judy quickly.

'It isn't?' he asked, taken aback. 'Then why haven't I seen you in these past weeks? Well, not considering classes of course.'

'I thought you didn't want us to be seen together too often?' Judy offered innocently.

'Yes, I suppose never qualifies as not too often,' said Lupin sarcastically.

'I'm sorry, Remus. I've just been busy with catching up on homework from the three weeks I was sick. And I've been trying to deal with…'

'…a pair of extra eyes on you?' asked Lupin meaningfully.

'Did she tell on me?' asked Judy a bit annoyed.

'Judy, professor McGonagall,-'

'I know, I know…it's for my own protection,' said Judy quickly. 'And I know I shouldn't have spoken to her the way I did, but after all these years of keeping secrets haven't I earned a little trust?'

'Yes, you have,' said Lupin, much to Judy's surprise. 'It's not _your _intentions we are worried about…'

'Right,' Judy sighed. 'You're worried about the intentions of my murderous fa,-'

'Judy!' said Lupin warningly.

'Sorry,' she said quickly, realising she was only drawing more attention than she needed to get from her uncle. 'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.' Lupin only nodded. 'And it's not an excuse, but I just can't take much more next to dealing with homework and my…'

'Your friends?' asked Lupin sympathetically. 'Things aren't going well between you and Willow, are they?'

'No, and I don't think I can fix it…' she said sombrely.

'I don't know, Jude. You girls have been friends for years…such a friendship is not easily lost…' he added absently. Judy met his eyes, realising he wasn't only referring to her friendships.

'I hope so,' said Judy truthfully, unable to imagine a life where her bond with Willow would truly be broken.

'Well, I'd best not be keeping you,' said Lupin. 'I don't want you to miss the train.'

'Yeah,' said Judy, nodding absently.

'Give my regards to your aunt and uncle. And Dora of course,' he added quickly.

'Don't worry, I won't forget Dora,' said Judy, smiling as Lupin blushed slightly. 'I hope you have a good holiday, with not too much correction work.'

'I'll be fine, sweetheart,' said Lupin gently. 'Make sure you take enough rest in between homework assignments. I'm not convinced you're fully recovered yet,' he said, sounding a little concerned.

'I will,' Judy lied, knowing all too well that instead of gaining she would lose all the energy she'd been building up in the last three weeks.

'Good. Safe journey then,' he smiled.

'Yes, goodbye,' said Judy, turning on her heel to continue her way down the staircase. She didn't walk on, however, as she realised what she was doing. She looked down the stair case and then glanced up to make sure it was deserted. Then she turned on her heel.

'Jude, what's-' Lupin stopped talking as she flung herself around his neck and gave him the tightest and longest hug she'd ever given him. She kissed his cheek before pulling back.

'I love you,' she said warmly. 'Promise me you won't forget that.'

'I won't,' he said, looking back at her confused.

'Good,' she cast him a genuine smile before turning on her heel and heading down the stair case. She tried not to think on the possibility that she might have seen him for the last time, but instead tried to focus on their reunion. A reunion where she'd be able to tell him everything and where he would believe in Sirius' innocence and where he would know that some friendships were not lost after all.


	19. Chapter 18

**Author's note: **Hi everybody. I'm glad to say this chapter did not take another year to make. Hope you enjoy it and I promise I'll keep trying to post chapters more regularly. Oh, and please review :)!

**Chapter 18**

**The Secret Keeper**

_The Hogwarts Express rode through the darkness, with columns of white clouds rising from the scarlet steam locomotive. With the new moon and ominous clouds covering the sky like a blanket, there was no light in the pitch black sky. Even the compartments of the train, which usually were full of chatting children excited to go home for Easter, were deserted. Not a single light or candle was lit in the train; the corridor and compartments were as black as the night. _

_Judy stood with her back pressed against the end of the corridor, staring into the darkness. She held Lupin's everlasting candle in her right hand, but she had nothing to light it with; not even her wand she realised suddenly. _

_She startled as she heard a noise in the distance. She drew shallow breaths of air, realising she'd start hyperventilating if she didn't calm down. But as soon as she managed to focus on her breathing, she once again heard a noise. It was closer now._

_Judy tried to ignore her fear and concentrate on the sound. She soon realised it was a mingle of sounds. There were hurried footsteps…clatter of china and cutlery on the wooden floor…bangs of large pieces of furniture falling over…heavy breathing…several screams and groans…a rattling sound...and then there was…cold. Judy's eyes widened as a feeling of pure dread grasped her heart._

_She startled as a man suddenly stumbled into the passenger car and fell face to the floor. He quickly scrambled up again, groaning as he pushed himself off the ground. Though Judy had trouble making out his silhouette in the dark, he seemed skinny. His clothes were nothing more than rags, hanging loosely around his emaciated body. He had dark hair, Judy saw as he stumbled toward her. He looked up for a moment and when their eyes met, they couldn't do anything but stare at each other._

_It was the first time she saw her father up close in twelve years, and he looked nothing like the man who left her at Lupin's house, the night James and Lily were killed. He wasn't the loving, spirited young father she remembered. He looked more like a tired old man, Judy thought sadly._

'_Your wand,' Sirius said, walking up to her. 'Give me your wand.'_

'_I don't have it,' said Judy quickly, making him stop in his tracks._

'_Judy, I have no time for,-'_

'_I'm not joking. I don't have it,' she said seriously. _

'_But…' he looked at her, at a loss for words. _

_Both startled as the door at the other end of the corridor was pushed open. Judy narrowed her eyes and tried to make out who entered the passenger car. She yelped as she heard the rattling breath in the distance and the atmosphere grew even colder. _

_Sirius grabbed her shoulders. 'Go,' he said urgently. 'Run, Judy.'_

'_What?! No,' she protested. 'I can't run, I have to…'_

'_Sweetheart, we have no time to argue,' said Sirius quickly. 'Run!' Judy looked passed him at the Dementor as it drew closer. She could feel its breath drawing away her hope. _

'_But I have to save you!' she retorted._

'_No, you don't,' he said gently. 'I'm your father. I have to save you.' He said turning around. Judy reached for his arm, but missed it as he walked away from her, toward the Dementor. _

'_Don't!' she called after him, paralyzed by fear as she realised what he was doing. _

_Judy watched in horror as the Dementor laid its scaly hands on her father's shoulders. It leaned in and Sirius' body caved as his soul was sucked from his body. _

'DAD!' Judy awoke with a scream.

'It's al right, Jude,' said a familiar voice she couldn't quite place. She looked around the compartment several times, before she realised the darkness had indeed gone.

'What…what happened?' she asked confused, her eyes resting on Duncan who lay curled up in the corner of the seat opposite her.

'I think you had a nightmare,' the boy beside her got up and sat down in front of her. Oliver smiled at her as he took her shaking hands in his. 'You're safe,' he said reassuringly.

'When did you get here?' asked Judy.

'A few minutes ago. I was on my way out when I saw two Slytherin girls in front of this compartment, stifling their giggles.'

'Let me guess, Odelia and Dara?' asked Judy, not surprised.

'Yes. I walked up to them to see what they were looking at. When I reached the compartment I saw you,' he paused for a moment. Judy recognised the look in in his eyes; she'd seen the same fear in Charlie's and Fred's eyes after her vision at the Burrow. 'You were…crying, moaning, kicking and…you even screamed once or twice. I tried to wake you, but I couldn't. Duncan hissed at you, backing away in that corner,' he said, as he pointed to the curled up cat. 'I tried to constrain you, but you resisted so fiercely, I decided to let you go and wait...and then you woke up with a scream…'

'Did I…did I say anything?' asked Judy in a forced casual tone. 'Any names, or…'

'No, you only screamed 'Dad' when you woke up just now.'

'Oh, good,' she let slip.

'I thought you never knew your father?' asked Oliver confused.

'I don't,' said Judy quickly. 'But I suppose that doesn't matter when you have a nightmare…'

'I suppose not,' said Oliver. 'Listen, is there anything I can do for you?'

'Ehm…' Judy looked around the compartment. 'I don't know, may be carry my bag? I mean, if you have time. I can understand if you want to go. Katie must be wondering where you are.'

'Oh,' said Oliver, his face turning sad. 'She's not here. She's staying at Hogwarts during the holidays.'

'Is something wrong, Oliver? I mean, did something happen between the two of you?' asked Judy carefully.

'I think saying, nothing is really happening, is more accurate,' he said uncomfortably. 'I just…well, you know me, Jude. I don't always know what to say to girls…I mean, what's the right thing to say, you know?'

'I know,' she said with a small smile. 'So you're saying, that you two don't really talk?'

'Well, we talk,' said Oliver quickly. 'About Quidditch, you know.'

'Quidditch?' asked Judy, arching her eye brow. 'Only Quidditch?'

'Well, we both love it,' said Oliver defensively.

'So did we,' Judy reminded him. 'And it's a good topic to talk about with friends, but when girls have a boyfriend, they like to talk about other things than Quidditch…'

'I know that!' Oliver rolled his eyes. 'I just don't know…I don't know what,' he said with a sigh.

'It's not that difficult, Oliver,' said Judy with a small smile. 'Just tell her her hair looks nice, or that you love her perfume. Ask her what else she likes besides Quidditch and tell her what's going on in your life. Tell her how she makes you feel. I'm sure she'd love to know.'

'You think she doesn't know?' he asked confused.

'Not if you don't tell her. Or show her, with flowers, or hugs or…well you know the rest,' said Judy amused as Oliver smiled. 'If you do that, and don't talk about Quidditch for a while, I'm sure things will turn around.'

'Thanks, Jude. You always were a good friend.' Judy looked away as she thought back on her conversation with Willow and George and just how good a friend she'd been in the past months.

'Wotcher!' Judy startled at the familiar voice. 'What are you two doing? Do you know I've searched the entire train for you?!' Tonks said, worried. Her purple hair, colouring red.

'I'm sorry, Dora, I…'

'She had a nightmare,' said Oliver, as he got to his feet. 'I just sat with her, to make sure she was all right.'

'And is she?' asked Tonks, looking at Oliver.

'I'm fine, Dora,' said Judy quickly. 'It was just a dream.'

'I'd better go,' said Oliver, obviously feeling uncomfortable. 'Hope you have a good holiday, Jude.'

'You too, Oliver,' she cast him a smile as he left the compartment.

'Goodbye, Oliver,' Tonks grinned after him. 'Are you sure you're over him?' she asked amused.

'Yes,' said Judy, rolling her eyes. 'And it's not nice of you to tease him, Dora.'

'Come on, Jude. If he can handle a Quaffle, he can handle me…' she offered amused as she sat down in front of her. 'So…you had a dream?' she asked seriously.

'A nightmare,' said Judy, shuddering as she thought back on the horrific images. 'Just a nightmare.'

'Are you sure?' asked Tonks carefully. 'Are you sure it wasn't a vision?'

'It wasn't something that happened in the past,' she said, contemplating her next words. 'I saw…I saw Sirius…in this train…he was being chased by a Dementor…I was there…and…' she fell silent as she looked out of the window. 'I've never seen the future before, Dora.' She turned her eyes to her cousin. 'I don't think I can…not yet.'

'Then it was just a nightmare,' said Tonks reassuringly. 'Just because you're a Seer, doesn't mean every dream has a meaning.' She took Judy's hand and squeezed it gently. 'You're worried about him, about what might happen to him. It's only natural for that fear to come forth in a dream.'

Judy smiled. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome,' she smiled back at her, her hair colour turning bright pink. 'Now,' she said as she got up, 'we'd best be off. I told Mum we'd be home by now…and you know how she can get when somebody's late…'

Judy nodded as she got to her feet. She leaned over to Duncan, caressing his dark fur as he lay curled up in the corner. 'I'm sorry if I hurt you,' she said softly. He purred as she scratched him behind his hair. Judy smiled, holding a pluck of rough black hair in between her fingers as she pulled her hand back.

* * *

Judy closed her eyes as the warm water ran down her skin, allowing it to chase away the cold sweat the nightmare had caused. Despite Tonks' comforting words, she couldn't help but worry about her dream. Her stomach ached and her throat felt constricted as she thought back on her nightmare; it was one of the most terrifying experiences in her life to helplessly watch her father give up his life for her own. She let out a deep sigh and shuddered to get rid of the ice cold feeling she had inside.

She only shut the shower off ten minutes later, and remained in the warm steam of the cabin as she dried herself off; clinging on to the last bit of warmth it provided. She wrapped the towel around her and stepped on the tile floor. She walked to the mirror and wiped away the damp with her hand to look herself straight in the eye.

'Enough,' she said calmly, hugging herself to literally contain her emotions. It was a technique Lupin had applied when she awoke from a nightmare in her younger years. The feeling of containment he had provided always made her feel safe and in control of the emotions that threatened to overtake her moments before.

Judy stood there for a few minutes allowing her emotions to subside. She then walked back to the bedroom she'd be sharing that week with Tonks. Andromeda hadn't changed a thing since Tonks moved out, meaning the room existed of colourful, and varied array of furniture and trinkets.

She looked down on the bed as she dried her hair with the fluffy blue towel. Two dresses lay on the duvet, one jade and one purple. She couldn't help but smile at the disappearance of her baggy jeans, blue tank top and orange vest. There was no doubt in her mind that her aunt Andromeda bore full responsibility for that.

Judy turned around to look at herself in the mirror. Her lips curled up in a small smile as she thought back on her goodbye to Lupin. He'd been right about her appearance; she had recovered from the aftermath of her last vision, though not entirely. She was still a skinnier and paler version of the 15-year old girl that looked back at her from the mirror a year ago.

'Jude?' She startled at the familiar voice. 'Are you dressed yet?'

'Almost!' she said truthfully, turning back to the bed. She dropped the towel and quickly gathered some underwear from her trunk. Then she picked up the purple dress and slipped into it as Tonks already opened the bedroom door. Judy turned on her heel and smiled at her.

'You ehm…' Tonks hesitated. 'You've dropped a few pounds, haven't you?'

'More than a few,' said Judy honestly. 'But I've also gained a few back…'

'Well, Mum's cooking will do the rest for you,' said Tonks with a wink. 'Do you want me to do your hair?'

'Yes, please. And would you mind cutting the ends off?'

'Of course not,' Tonks replied, closing the door as Judy sat down at the dressing table.

The older witch walked around the younger one, while taking her wand out of her pocket. 'How much do you want me to take off?'

'Just the split ends.'

'Are you sure?' asked Tonks disappointed. 'You know, a short coupe would look beautiful on you.'

'Just the ends, Dora,' said Judy, looking at the picture of her, Remus and Duncan. She reached out to the frame and at her touch the picture transformed. Judy's fingers trailed over the young faces of her parents.

'All right,' said Dora affectionately. Judy looked up and smiled at her in the mirror. 'We'll leave it like hers.'

'Thanks, Dora.'

'You know,' said Tonks, as she pulled her fingers through the dark locks. 'You look so much like,-'

'Like my mother, I know,' said Judy, finishing the sentence she'd heard a million times in her life.

'No, like your Dad,' Tonks corrected her. 'The way you look at that picture, it's the same way he used to look at you.' She said allowing the dark strands to flow down Judy's back. She then took her wand and with a few wordless swishes cut Judy's hair. 'There. Now, do you want to wear it loose? Or do you want me to put it up?

'Loose.' Tonks smiled as she dried Judy's hair with another flick of her wand.

'Done. Now, before we go down for dinner, we really should talk about when, how and where we're going to do this.' Judy met her cousin's eyes in the mirror. 'And don't tell me you haven't got a plan,' she added meaningfully.

'Well,' said Judy, turning on her chair to face her cousin. 'The how isn't that difficult. Trelawney said I could See easier with a cat, so we have to bring Duncan along.'

'How do you See with a cat?' asked Tonks, confused.

'Long story,' said Judy dismissively. 'As for the where…the location should be linked to what I want to See, but I don't know where that is yet.'

'May be I can help? I mean, if you can tell me what exactly you need to See?' Tonks offered, her hair colour showing her concern as it turned a dark shade of blue.

'I've been thinking about that…' said Judy, still thinking. 'There's only one way to prove Sirius didn't betray James and Lily, and that's that he didn't know where they were hiding.'

'But…' Tonks paused, allowing Judy's words to sink in. 'But that would mean that he wasn't their Secret Keeper.' Judy only nodded. 'But then who…? I mean, surely you don't think Remus,-'

'No, not Remus!' said Judy quickly. 'But it must have been someone who was close to them,' Judy paused. 'They wouldn't have trusted the safety of their own lives and that of Harry's to someone else. And I think it must have been someone my father knew.'

'What do you mean?' asked Tonks confused.

'In the vision I summoned, I saw my mother. She visited Lily at the time she was in hiding, only to tell her that when their lives depended on magic they should trust no one else but my father.'

'I still don't understand...'

'See, if there's one circumstance where your life almost fully depends on magic it's the Fidelius Charm. So, I think the first person Lily and James turned to was Sirius. If not for my mother's words then because he was James' best friend.'

'But then he _was _their Secret Keeper?' Tonks asked confused.

'Only if he accepted the job,' said Judy.

'And in order to find out what exactly happened we have to find the location where James asked Sirius to be their Secret Keeper?'

'More precisely, the location where my father either turned down the offer or changed his mind,' said Judy.

'And you have no clue where that might be?' asked Tonks, disappointed.

'I have too many,' Judy retorted. 'There's James' and Lily's old house in Godric's Hollow, my grandparents' house where my Mum was killed…and may be a secret place I don't even know about…' said Judy, unable to withhold a tone of despair.

'OK, then we'll figure out the where later,' said Tonks, running her fingers through her still dark blue locks.

'What about the when?' asked Judy carefully.

'Don't worry, I'll take care of that,' said Tonks absently.

'Nymphadora! Judy!' Andromeda called up the stairs.

'We're coming, Mum!' Tonks called back. 'So, you take care of the where, and I of the when?'

Judy sighed. 'Do you really think we can do it all in a week?'

Tonks laid her hand on Judy's shoulder. 'Of course we can. All we need is your determination, my creativity and a hint of magic,' she said with a confident smile.

As they left the room, however, Judy noticed her cousin's hair hadn't turned any brighter.

* * *

Judy stood in the small garden a few days later. She greedily inhaled the spring air carrying a hint of cherry blossom from one of the neighbouring gardens. She looked up at the sky with a smile, her eyes following the black owl she'd borrowed from her aunt, which was now barely visible in the distance. It carried several rolls of parchment on which she'd written the essays that the teachers had set the sixth years for after the holidays. Judy grinned as she imagined the look on Snape's face as he unrolled her essay on the Elixir of Life, nearly a week before it was due.

'I see you finally finished your homework,' Judy turned on her heel, still smiling as Andromeda approached her. The older witch wore an elegant blue summer dress, combined with a brown vest to protect her against the remnants of winter's chill, still lingering in the air.

'I decided to work a bit ahead,' said Judy truthfully, neglecting to add her reasons for doing so.

'I thought as much,' Andromeda said with a smile. 'You have your mother's diligence when it comes to schoolwork,' she said, cupping Judy's cheek. 'Which is of course why the Sorting Hat put you in Ravenclaw'. There was a hint of sadness in Andromeda's eyes as she looked at the younger witch. 'Come on, I have something for you,' she said, beckoning Judy to follow her to the dining room.

The colour of the room had changed since Judy's Birthday dinner. Instead of the Bordeaux red, the walls of the room now bore a soft shade of blue. Judy thought of it as a welcome change, having preferred light colours all her life.

'I asked Ted to look these up as soon as I agreed with Remus that you'd be spending Easter here.'

Judy's eyes fell on the cardboard box on the oval dining room table, which bore her name in thick black letters. The top was folded open, she noticed as she walked closer. Several leather bound books were neatly stacked inside it. Judy felt herself drawn to one with a white leather binding and picked it from the middle of the row. She opened it and was unable to stifle a sob as she looked at the picture on the first page.

Briana lay in bed in a light bedroom she'd seen before. Her long dark hair was a little tangled and some dark strands stuck to her still damp forehead. She smiled, before looking down at the small bundle in her arms. Sirius sat on the rim of the bed, beaming at the two of them and smiling proudly as the baby girl clung onto his finger with her small hand.

'We wanted to wait to show you these until you were of age,' said Andromeda gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. 'But I thought with everything that has happened…I thought you should know that he wasn't always like…like others want you to believe.'

Judy looked up from the photograph, surprised. 'Do you believe he is,-'

'Oh no, dear,' said Andromeda quickly. 'Sirius did…what he did. I just think you deserve to know that in the years prior to…he was a good man.'

Judy nodded as she turned her eyes back to the photo album and slowly leafed through the pages. Beside herself and her parents, many pictures also featured Lily, James and Remus. Peter Pettigrew also, though not as often as the others, was there.

After Andromeda made a pot of tea, they looked on through the album, with Judy asking Andromeda hundreds of questions about people or locations she didn't recognize.

'Wotcher!' Tonks' familiar voice called, as the front door fell shut. With a pang of guilt Judy looked at the clock and noticed she'd wasted the entire afternoon looking at old photographs, instead of finding out the right location for her vision.

'We're in the dining room, Nymphadora,' said Andromeda in her calm voice.

'Good afternoon,' said Tonks, smiling broadly as she entered the room. 'Ah, you gave them to her!' she said happily.

'Yes, we spent the afternoon looking through these,' said Andromeda warmly. Judy cast Tonks an apologetic smile.

'I bet there are loads of people and places in there that you didn't recognize,' said Tonks meaningfully. Judy looked down to see the album lay open at a page with a single picture in the middle of it.

A young Sirius, though not as young as he'd looked in the first picture, looked back at her. His smile was not a careless as Judy had seen in previous pictures and despite his effort to hide it, his eyes showed a hint of pain. He held a younger version of Judy in his arms, supporting her weight on his hip. She too had lost her carelessness, leaning heavily in her father's embrace as she smiled at the camera.

In the background stood a row of terraced houses, made of light bricks and with thatched rooftops. The flowerbed in front of the middle house only had light coloured flowers of blue, white and lilac. Even the fence, as opposed to the black and brown ones beside it, was painted white.

'Where…where is this?' asked Judy, keeping her eyes on the photograph.

'Let me see,' said Andromeda, taking the album from her to take a closer look.

'Ah, this is the house your parents bought after you were born,' Andromeda said. 'They lived there for a short while, before…before your father didn't think it safe any more for your mother and you to live there…'

'You mean before we moved in with my grandparents?'

'You remember…that…?' asked Andromeda carefully.

'I remember the night she was murdered,' said Judy truthfully. 'Remus told me the rest. But I am older in this picture and the way Sirius…this was after her death, wasn't it?'

'Yes,' confirmed Andromeda. 'I thought you knew…Sirius never moved out of that house. And after your mother and grandparents died, he took you back in.'

'So then…we lived there until…' Judy stopped talking and met Tonks' eyes.

'Until he was arrested?' Tonks finished, looking at her mother.

'Yes,' said Andromeda, unaware of the exchange of meaningful glances between the other two witches. 'Come to think of it, I have no idea what happened to that house after he was arrested….oh, dear,' she said suddenly. 'Look at the time. Your father will be home soon, I'd better get started on dinner.' She got up from her seat and hurried to the kitchen, quickly wiping away a tear Judy hadn't even registered.

'This is it, Dora,' Judy whispered, holding up the album.

'Are you sure?' asked Tonks, worried. 'You're only going to get one shot at this…'

'I'm sure,' said Judy with a smile. 'Remus told me Sirius became very protective of me after my mother's death. He would have tried to keep me hidden in that house.'

'OK, then that's were we will be going,' said Tonks.

'When?' asked Judy urgently.

'Tomorrow,' said Tonks, taking two tickets from her pocket. 'Tickets to a Muggle musical…I think it has something to do with cats.'

'And we're going?' asked Judy confused.

'Of course not, I bought these for my parents,' Tonks explained. 'My Mum loves musicals.'

'And your Dad?'

'Has no choice but to join her,' said Tonks with a grin. 'And with them gone, we'll have the entire evening for ourselves.'

'I know I don't say this enough…but, you're brilliant, Dora,' Judy said with a smile.

'Yes…you really don't say that enough,' she replied.

Judy noticed Tonks' hair turning bubble gum pink, before she looked back at the photograph. She felt as excited as Tonks as she looked at her parents' old house. Finally, after all those months she would prove her father's innocence to the entire magical world.

* * *

Despite the first signs of spring revealing itself during the day, winter's chill still clung onto the evenings and nights. Judy and Tonks stepped out of the house, wearing a thick winter coat, scarves and gloves. Duncan was half enwrapped in Judy's scarf as she held him close to her chest to keep him warm. He snuggled up against her as a chilly breeze touched his fur.

'He'll never forgive me,' said Judy, as she herself welcomed the warmth of her pet.

'I think he's warmer than we are,' said Tonks, rubbing her hands together. 'So,' she said, looking around the backyard and checking the windows to make sure none of the neighbours saw them. 'Are you ready?'

'I hate this,' said Judy, unable to withhold her protest.

'I know, but it's the fastest way,' said Tonks as she took her hand. 'It'll be over in a few seconds,' she added reassuringly.

Judy nodded and closed her eyes. She was enveloped by a suffocating darkness and she tightened her grip on her cousin's hand, making sure their connection remained intact. She held her breath as always, and only allowed herself to gasp for air as their feet touched solid ground.

'It's over,' said Tonks reassuringly, holding her hand for a few moments until she stopped shivering.

Judy opened her eyes and looked at their surroundings. They had Apparated in a dark corner of a dead end street; far away from the windows of the nearest house in front of them. The street light beside them wasn't on, which surprised Judy only for a few seconds, as she soon saw the amused look in her cousin's eyes. She must have been here before to make the necessary preparations.

'Come on,' said Tonks, walking away. 'We need to use every second we have.'

Judy followed her, still pressing Duncan against her chest, though this time more to protect her from the cold that started to grow within. She wasn't very much aware of her surroundings or the chilly temperature as she tried to catch up with her cousin. If anything she felt as if her senses were numbed. The strength of her Sight, however, seemed to grow with every step she took. And as the moment of truth now drew near, she wasn't sure whether she should welcome or fear the changes her body was going through.

Tonks made a left at the end of the street, disappearing from view for a few seconds, until Judy herself rounded the corner. The elder witch made an impatient gesture as she rushed onward, her eyes fixed on the terraced houses to their left. Judy followed her gaze as she still remained a few meters behind her, recognizing the dark fences from the picture she'd seen at her aunt's house.

She was so focused on finding the white picket fence that she didn't realise Tonks had stopped, until she walked into her.

'Jude!' Tonks hissed as she stumbled, but managed to remain on her feet.

'Sorry,' she whispered back, trying to calm Duncan who had been in between them as they collided.

'Well, we're here,' said Tonks, looking at the house in front of her with her hands on her hips. Judy followed her gaze and was disappointed to see how much the house had changed. It seemed that after Sirius' disappearance it was sold to a new owner, who had decided to change it so that it looked just like the other houses in the street. The white fence was painted dark and the beautiful flower bed had been replaced by dark stone; there was nothing left of the light her parents had brought to it.

'It looks nothing like my parents' house,' said Judy, suddenly feeling emotional.

'It's changed,' Tonks agreed. 'Do you think that'll be a problem?'

'No,' said Judy truthfully. 'I just hoped…can we get inside?'

'What?' asked Tonks taken aback. 'No.'

'But,-'

'There are people living in there, Jude,' said Tonks quickly.

'They don't seem to be home,' said Judy, looking at the darkened windows. 'There's no light burning…'

'Well, may be that's because we waited till midnight to leave the house, so we wouldn't run into anyone in this street and they have long gone to bed!'

'I only get one shot at this, Dora,' Judy pleaded.

'Yes, and, if for some reason, that shot goes wrong, I don't want to have to explain it all to a family of Muggles,' Tonks said. 'How do you think that will look at the Ministry?' Judy bit her lip, for the first time realising how much risk she'd asked her cousin to take.

'You're right. I'm sorry,' she said, taking Duncan from her scarf. 'I'll do it from here.'

'Good,' said Tonks. 'Now, do you have everything with you?' she asked, taking the cat from Judy. The younger witch searched for her necklace and rolled the red coral pendant in between her fingers. She then took Charlie's picture from her pocket, trailed his face with her fingers and placed it under her scarf, close to her chest. From her other pocket she took the picture of Sirius holding her as a young girl in front of the house where she now stood.

'Please, help me,' she whispered, blinking back a tear as she put the picture back in her pocket. She then walked over to the house, turned around and sat down, pressing her back against the dark fence. 'I'm ready.'

Tonks squatted in front of her. 'Are you sure?' Judy nodded. 'OK,' she handed Duncan to Judy. She felt a calmness descent over her and she noticed Duncan felt it too as she took him from her elder cousin.

'Dora,' said Judy, holding up Duncan in front of her. 'Should anything go wrong...'

'I'll be here,' she said warmly. 'I'll take care of you,' she promised, as her hair colour nearly faded to black. Judy only nodded.

She lifted Duncan so his eyes were at the same height as hers. Judy did her utmost not to blink as her blue eyes locked with Duncan yellow ones. She asked him to guide her, over and over again in her mind. She sensed he understood her request and it didn't take long before the vision washed over her and drew her in.

_Rain lashed violently against the window panes of the small terraced house. Multi-coloured leaves danced in the air as the autumn gale continued as fierce as it had started that afternoon. Inside the house a dark haired man looked out onto the deserted street. Sirius drained the beer bottle with a final swig, his eyes still focused on the street before him as he put the empty bottle down on the side table. _

_He pressed his forehead against the coolness of the glass, in an effort to sooth the heat of his anger, bubbling inside of him. His eyes fell and he looked at the collection of empty bottles on the table, wishing he'd turned to cigarettes instead of alcohol to calm his tension. Then at least he wouldn't have to worry about being responsible and stopping before he got drunk. _

'_Responsible…' Sirius' lips curled up in a wry smile as he shook his head. He wasn't sure the word even existed in his vocabulary in his Hogwarts' days, when he was running around with his friends and getting in all sorts of trouble. Then it would never have crossed his mind to stop drinking, because he might get drunk or black out. He was fearless in those days, doing anything he bloody well wanted and accepting any challenge no matter how high the risk of getting caught. _

_But that had all changed on that hot summer night. When Briana lay in their bed, screaming and moaning as the contractions became more frequent. Sirius had been by her side, holding her hand and brushing away her hair from her flushed face while encouraging her to push just a little longer. With a final scream followed by a sigh of relief, Briana had fallen back on her pillow, finally giving in to her exhaustion. Sirius had praised her and kissed her forehead, whispering kind words._

_He'd never forget the look of love in his girlfriend's eyes as she held their daughter. Nor the feeling in his own heart as he looked down on Briana and Judy, as he looked down at his family. He'd sworn then to never let any harm come to them, to protect them no matter what the cost…even if it meant his life._

_Sirius brushed away a tear from his cheek, wishing as always that he'd never left them alone that night. That he'd decided to check on them just to make sure they were safe, that he would have been there to save Briana's life. _

'_Padfoot!' Sirius closed his eyes as he heard her scream, afraid that another aching heart would be too much for him to handle, afraid that by seeing the sadness in his daughter's eyes his own tears too would spill freely. 'Padfoot!'_

'_I'm coming, sweetheart!' He called, turning on his heels and heading for the stairs. _

_The little girl sat in her bed with widened eyes, looking frantically around the darkened room. 'Padfoot!' she wailed, staring into the darkness with her back pressed against the wall. Tears spilled over her cheeks as the images of her dream still flashed before her eyes. 'DADDY!', she screamed at the top of her tiny lungs._

'_I'm here,' Sirius burst through the door, whipping his wand and igniting every light in the room. 'I'm here, sweetheart,' he said, walking over to her and scooping her up from the bed. The dark haired girl trembled in his arms. _

'_Daddy…' she sobbed on his shoulder, clinging onto him as if afraid to lose him. 'He found me…' she said, terrified. 'He looked under the bed…'_

'_He didn't find you,' said Sirius soothingly, holding her tightly. 'They'll never find you.'_

_They both looked up, startled, as the doorbell rang. _

'_That's him…' she said hoarsely. _

_Judy stepped into the small bedroom, looking at the scene with tears in her eyes. She'd been observing her father, only guessing about his internal struggle as he'd stared out of the living room window. Now she clearly saw what her mother's death had done to them. How her younger version clung to her father as if she would lose him at any moment. They were broken…already, she thought as she remembered what was still to come. _

'_No sweetheart, it's Lily and James,' said Sirius, nonetheless tightening the grip on his wand. 'I told you they'd be coming over tonight. Now, if you'll just,-'_

'_No!' said the little girl quickly. 'Don't leave me alone.' Her pleading eyes met his and Judy now noticed Sirius' eyes were moist as well._

'_All right,' he said, placing her on his hip. 'I'll take you downstairs so you can see it's them, but then you're off to bed.' The dark haired girl only nodded._

_Judy followed them down the stairs and through the narrow corridor of the small house, aligned with several pictures of her father, mother and their friends. There were none of herself, which was no surprise since her parents had always kept her a secret from the wizarding world._

'_Who's there?' Sirius asked cautiously. _

'_It's us, Padfoot,' said a male voice. Sirius undid several locks and opened the door. The younger version of Judy buried her face in her father's dark hair. _

_James and Lily stood closely together under an umbrella shielding them from the rainy autumn weather. Under Lily's coat an odd lump stirred slightly. _

'_Hi there, mate,' James said with a fading smile as he noticed the little girl in his best friend's arms. _

'_What's wrong?' Lily asked apprehensively. _

'_She's had a nightmare,' Sirius explained as he stepped back to let his friends in. _

'_Does she have them often?' asked Lily concerned. _

_Sirius met her green eyes, unable to hide the sadness in his. 'It's the first of October…two years since…' he broke off, looking sideways at a picture of Briana in her Hogwarts' years. _

'_I'll take her back to bed,' said Lily as she allowed James to help her out of her coat. 'I need to put Harry down, anyway,' she continued as a small dark haired baby boy was revealed from under the coat. 'I hope you don't mind I brought him along, I hate leaving him with others these days.'_

'_I understand,' said Sirius, remembering how Briana had always refused to let Judy out of her sight whenever times seemed dark. _

'_Are you sure you'll manage?' asked James, worried._

'_Of course we'll manage,' said Lily with a smile. 'You're old enough to help me with Harry, aren't you Judy?' she asked, meeting the young girl's blue eyes. She only nodded. _

'_All right then, you go with your aunt Lily,' said Sirius, kissing her and hugging her again. 'And if there's anything wrong, we'll be right down here, OK?'_

'_OK,' said the little girl, allowing her father to put her on the ground. _

'_Off we are then,' said Lily with a smile, following the little Judy as she walked toward the stairs. _

'_Good night, uncle James!' the girl called over her shoulder. _

'_Good night, sweetie,' he said, as he hung up his and Lily's coat. _

_Judy stood behind Sirius as James turned from the coat stand and met his friend's eyes. She could tell by the look of sympathy in James' eyes that her father wasn't handling himself well. _

'_It wasn't your fault, Sirius.'_

'_That doesn't make the pain any less…' Sirius flipped his hair back. 'Firewhisky?'_

'_Yes, I could use one. Lily will take a pumpkin juice, she's still breast feeding,' he explained, following his friend into the kitchen. 'Are you sure you're OK?'_

'_Of course I am,' said Sirius as he poured the amber liquid in a glass. 'I'm not like this every night, Prongs.'_

'_I know, it's just…well, since we've been talking about going into hiding… since you've been talking about it…'_

'_It just reminds me too much of the dangers Briana was in…and now my best friends. Judy…' he sighed as he finished pouring the second glass. 'I don't know what I'd do if,-'_

'_That's enough, mate,' said James as he walked to the refrigerator. He reached in and pulled out a pitcher of pumpkin juice. 'We can't lose hope,' he said as he took a glass from the cabinet. 'Briana never lost it and she always knew what was coming…'_

_Sirius smiled as he stared at his glass of Firewhisky. 'She was strong, James. She gave me strength whenever I lost mine…'_

'_She gave us all strength,' James cast Sirius a small smile. 'It's a shame we only realised that when she was gone.'_

'_I realised a lot of things after she was gone…' Sirius let his right hand slide into his pocket and drew out a small black jewellery box. 'I'd been carrying this around for a month when she died…I just never…' his clenched the small box in a fist._

'_Sirius,' said James warningly. _

'_I never had the courage to ask her!' he said angrily as he flung the box against one of the kitchen cabinets. 'I'm a coward, Prongs.' He said, before downing his glass in one. 'A pitiful coward…'_

'_A coward?' James asked. 'A coward? Sirius, you're the bravest man I've ever known. When Briana found out she was pregnant in our final year you stepped up and took your responsibility. You vouched to stand by her, no matter what choice she made. A coward would have run as far away from her as he could. You did the opposite.'_

'_Did I?' he asked bitterly. 'Was telling her I'd stand by her no matter what and then spending most of the week out with my friends a sign of courage?'_

'_We were out, because we had things to do for the Order,' James retorted. _

'_I failed her, Prongs,' said Sirius bitterly. 'I should have been there to protect her, _

_but,-'_

'_We were on a mission, Padfoot,' the other man retorted. 'And you took that mission to protect your family.'_

'_Yes, and even that went wrong,' James shook his head. 'He escaped, James. Hell, he might even have killed her!' Sirius looked down at his empty glass. 'I failed her.'_

'_Enough,' James said as he took the empty glass from his friend's hands. 'You've had enough for tonight, and I've had enough of your negativity. You're not thinking clearly, Sirius.'_

'_Oh, but I am,' he disagreed. 'I've been thinking on this for a long time.'_

'_On what?' asked James confused. _

'_On how I am to protect your family, when I wasn't even able to protect mine…' he said, his gaze suddenly turning clear as he looked at his best friend. _

'_Sirius,-'_

'_Please, James. Just listen to me,' he pleaded. 'I don't know if I could have protected her, may be I couldn't have…but that doesn't change the fact that I promised I would and that I failed to keep that promise. And it also doesn't change the fact that I have every intention of not making that mistake again,' he looked at the staircase as Lily came down. _

'_What's going on?' she asked carefully. 'I heard you shouting and throwing things…you do remember you have a little girl up there whose terrified?' she asked reproachfully. _

'_I do,' said Sirius honestly, locking his eyes with James. 'Voldemort will know,' Sirius continued. 'He knows we're best mates and he will know you two chose me…'_

'_Sirius,-'_

'_And when he does,' Sirius cut across James, 'he'll come looking for me and…'_

'_And he'll find you,' Lily said softly. 'And her.'_

'_I would never betray you,' Sirius said truthfully. 'And if it were only me, I wouldn't hesitate to do it. But I have to protect her.'_

'_I understand,' said James, running his fingers through his dark hair. 'I do…it's just…' he cast a hesitant look at Lily._

'_What?' asked Sirius confused._

_Judy stood close to the other three, her eyes widening as she realised what James was referring to._

'_Briana said…' Lily started hesitantly. 'Briana told me once that when our safety depended on magic, we should trust you. Only you.'_

'_She did?' he asked, with a small smile. 'Well, then I suppose I'm asking you to do just that. Trust me and don't make me Secret Keeper.'_

'_But then, who?' asked James._

'_Peter,' said Sirius quickly. 'Voldemort will never suspect him to be your Secret Keeper.'_

'_Peter?' asked Lily sceptically. 'Wouldn't Remus be a better option?'_

'_I think he's got enough on his plate, love,' said James. 'We shouldn't burden him even more with this.'_

'_Yes, I suppose you're right, but Peter…' Lily hesitated. 'Are you sure he's up for the job?'_

'_He's been a good friend to us over the years,' said James. _

'_I do not doubt Peter's loyalty to you,' Sirius backed his friend up. 'And he's kept Remus' secret through all these years.'_

'_Yes, I suppose,' said Lily, biting her lip. 'I just can't help but think that…I mean, what if Briana meant we should trust you to do this task? Only you, Sirius?'_

'_She would never have wanted me to risk Judy's life,' said Sirius._

'_I know,' said Lily, still not looking convinced. 'It's just…'_

'_What choice do we have, love?' asked James. 'Wormtail is our oldest friend. Besides Sirius and Remus, he's the one I trust most.' _

_Lily waited before she replied. 'Yes…I suppose he is.' She looked at Sirius, with a small smile. 'We'll ask Peter.'_

'_Thank you, Lily,' said Sirius, sounding relieved. The red haired witch walked over to him and cupped his cheeks._

'_You're a wonderful father,' she whispered, before hugging him. 'Never doubt that.'_

_Sirius hugged her back tightly, welcoming the comfort she was offering him._

_Judy stood in the corner of the room, her cheeks stained with tears as she watched her father and his friends. She felt sad, knowing what peril lay ahead of them and not being able to warn them. She felt glad, knowing how much she was loved by him. But most of all she felt relief, knowing that her father had never betrayed his best friends…knowing her father was innocent._

'Judy?!' Tonk's voice cut through the silence like a knife.

_Judy suddenly felt as if there were strings attached to her, trying to pull her away. She struggled, fighting them off as she tried to hold onto the memory._

'Jude, please,' Tonks pleaded. 'Something's wrong…'

_She barely heard the urgency in her cousin's voice, as she stood in the corner of the room and saw how James put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. She couldn't leave without warning them, but as she opened her mouth no sound came out._

'Judy!' said Tonks in a high pitched voice. 'Please…please come back!'

_The strings pulled harder and for the first time Judy noticed she was shaking. Suddenly she felt tired, exhausted and cold. Something was wrong, very wrong, she realised as a sense of urgency now dawned on her. _

_She leaned back, giving into the tugging of the strings and allowing them to pull her away from the scene. She held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for reality to replace the vision. Any moment now, she would feel the cold curb below her and the hard steel against her back, and it would all be over. She'd tell Tonks everything she'd seen and she would go with her to Lupin and Dumbledore and explain it all. Everything would be all right, she thought with a smile. Everything…_

_Judy opened her eyes…only to discover she was floating in a void. There was nothing but darkness around her. No images, no sounds…only darkness and cold. _

_Fear gripped her heart as she realised what had happened. She failed…all was lost._

* * *

He Apparated in a dead end alley, not caring about who saw him. As soon as he'd heard the news he'd rushed out of Hogwarts' castle, ran through the grounds and as soon as he'd reached the winged boar gates he Apparated as close to the hospital as he could.

He quickly walked out of the alley and rounded the corner. Nearly knocking over several Muggles he passed, and not caring one bit, he briskly made his way to the abandoned red brick department store. He stopped in front of Purge and Dowse Ltd. where a sign saying 'Closed for Refurbishment' made sure Muggles paid no attention to the store. He looked over his shoulder, his mind clear enough to check if any Muggles were watching him. Then he looked at the dummy dressed in an outdated style and asked him to let him enter. Barely a second later he walked straight through the glass window.

Inside there was a reception area filled with rickety wooden chairs. He was in such a hurry, he nearly collided with the witch welcoming the visitors. He didn't even register how she looked as he rushed passed her.

'Sir, can I help you?'

'No, I know exactly where I'm going,' he said annoyed.

He made his way to the stairs and ascended them two steps at a time, pushed forward by the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Mostly caused by the feeling of pure dread that had taken hold of his heart as soon as he'd listened to Andromeda, who had appeared in his hearth at Hogwarts without warning.

He pushed open the fourth floor door with such force, that it banged against the wall. Several Healers and patients looked in his direction, startled. Again, he barely registered them, and again he didn't care.

'Remus!' He looked to his right as he heard the familiar voice. Ted Tonks waved at him from the end of the hallway and he hurried over to him.

'Where is she?!' Lupin asked hoarsely, only now feeling the distance he'd crossed since he left his office.

'In there,' he said, gesturing at the door to their left. 'The Healer is with her. She asked us to wait outside.'

'Us?' asked Lupin confused, looking around.

'Andromeda took Nymphadora to the Tea room,' Ted explained. 'I think it was all too much for her.'

'I want to talk to her, Ted,' said Remus, his voice strained.

'She thought she was helping her, Remus,' Ted explained. 'Judy was going to do it anyway, Nymphadora just wanted to make sure,-'

'Dora should have known better,' said Lupin bitterly. 'She knows what happened to Judy last time, how we barely…' he ran his fingers through his greying hair as he tried to still his emotions. Ted put a hand on his shoulder.

'She's in good hands, Remus,' he said in an effort to comfort him.

'She shouldn't be here in the first place,' Lupin said through gritted teeth.

'Remus?' He looked up at the sound of the fragile voice. Tonks looked back at him, her eyes bloodshot from her shed tears. Her hair as dark as the night. Andromeda walked beside her, a protective arm around her daughter's waist.

Lupin moved, but Ted quickly held him back. Tonks evaded his gaze as she stopped a few meters away from him. 'How…' he said with a trembling voice. 'How could you?'

'I'm sorry,' said Tonks hoarsely. 'I'm so sorry.' Andromeda cast Lupin a reproachful look as she drew her sobbing daughter in her embrace. 'I only wanted…I only wanted to help…'

'Help?!' Remus exclaimed. 'Help her to do what? Kill herself?' he said in a cruel tone. 'If she dies, Dora,-'

'Enough!' Andromeda said sharply. Lupin looked at her, his eyes ablaze with anger.

They all looked sideways as the door to Judy's room opened. Lupin only now recognized the red haired Healer coming out of the room; it was Willow's mother.

'Hello, Remus,' said Jessica Waters.

He looked back at her, his body tense. 'How…I mean…will she…' he said hoarsely, not daring to ask the question.

Jessica looked at him for a moment. 'We tried to bring her back. I cast every spell I could think of. But…I'm sorry, Remus. She won't wake.' Lupin bit back his tears as his heart froze.

'But surely, there must be something…' said Andromeda, a sound of despair colouring her voice.

'I wish there was,' said Jessica seriously. 'But I'm afraid we've done all we can.'

'No…No…NO!' said Lupin, overtaken by emotions. 'She can't be,-'

'She's alive, Remus,' said Jessica quickly. 'And she's stable….but she's also lost.'

'What do you mean by lost?' asked Ted Tonks confused.

'She is stuck, somewhere between the vision and reality. Her cat gave her the strength to find her way to her vision, but she didn't have enough strength nor mastery of her power to find her way back.' She looked at each of them with a grave expression. 'I've done everything in my power, but magic can't save her.'

Lupin looked through the small glass window to the pale fragile girl in the hospital bed. He didn't speak as he turned his eyes on Tonks, who still stood in her mother's embrace. Though he was more angry with her than he'd ever been with anybody in his life, he couldn't help but admire her courage as she met his gaze and didn't turn away her teary eyes. He still felt a need to yell at her, to blame her for taking Judy away from him…but he knew her heart was as broken as his and he couldn't live with himself if he inflicted even more pain.

'Can I see her?' he asked hoarsely. Jessica nodded.

'But no more than two visitors at a time. She needs her energy.' she said seriously. 'Now please excuse me, I have to make my rounds.'

'Of course,' said Lupin. 'Thank you for everything you've done.'

'Remus, if it's all right with you, I won't tell Willow about this just yet,' said the red haired witch. 'I think she's had a rough couple of months and…'

'Of course,' said Lupin in understanding, remembering how he'd found Willow when she found Judy unconscious in the castle. Jessica smiled before turning and walking away.

'I ehm…I think I'd better go home and get some rest…' said Tonks distractedly, turning on her heel and walking away from them.

'I'll look after her, sweetheart,' said Ted Tonks, quickly kissing his wife on the cheek and hurrying after their daughter.

'Andromeda, if you don't mind, I'd like a few moments alone with her,' said Lupin.

'Of course. I'll fetch us some tea,' she said.

'I'm…I'm sorry I,-'

'You only said those things because you care about Judy,' she said. 'But if you ever talk to my daughter that way again…' she said meaningfully, not finishing the sentence as she turned and walked away from him.

Lupin looked after her, before taking hold of the doorknob and slowly opening the door. His breath caught in his throat as he now looked directly at the girl he'd grown to consider as his own daughter. She lay peacefully, her rosy lips standing out against her pale complexion and showing just a hint of a smile. Her long wavy black hair framed her face beautifully and it reminded Lupin of a girl from a Muggle fairy tale he'd once heard. He believed her name had been Snow white.

Lupin sat down on the chair beside the bed. He took one of her hands in his, and gently rubbed her arm as he noticed how cold her skin was. With his other hand he brushed away a stray black strand from her face, arranging the black curtain back into perfection. He looked at her closed eyes, wishing more than anything that he could look into those blue irises one more time.

'I'm so sorry, Briana,' he said, finally allowing his tears to spill. 'I failed you…I failed all of you.' He said, caressing Judy's cold cheek as he thought back on their goodbye a week ago.

He leaned over and pressed a long kiss to her forehead. 'I love you too, sweetheart.'


	20. Chapter 19

**Author's note:** Hello everybody. Again another chapter, which again took more time than anticipated. I guess I'll never learn. While finishing up this chapter I suddenly realised I don't have many more to go :). Hope you'll all still stick with me till the end. And as always, please review! Thanks!

**Chapter 19**

**Lion Hearts**

He stood on the porch of his small wooden cottage, swirling around the last bit of Firewhisky in his glass. His eyes moved from the amber liquid to the beautiful night's sky. He loved watching the stars on a clear evening like tonight. He savoured the smell of the pine trees surrounding him. There was nothing else in the world that could calm him more at the end of a rough day.

The dragons had been extremely restless that day. Two of his colleagues had been wounded while tending to the youngest Norwegian Ridgeback; a fierce breed even on a good day. Charlie had finally stepped in, using his natural gift with animals to calm the young dragon.

Usually, it was easy for him to put his stressful days behind him, as soon as he sat on his porch and looked at the spectacular nature surrounding him. Today, however, was different. If anything, his restless feeling had only grown stronger since he got home. Even two glasses of Firewhisky, hadn't been able to calm him down.

Charlie walked inside the cottage, overlooking the small kitchen area and the cosy sitting room. Colourful rugs and blankets, made by his mother, reminded him of the warmth of the Burrow. He walked across the room and sat down on the couch, picking up a letter from the coffee table before leaning back.

He'd thought of putting it away a hundred times in the past weeks, but every time he'd put it back on the coffee table where he could look at it whenever he wanted to. He'd been well aware of the distance between them, talking it over with Bill at least ten times before he even decided to reveal his feelings to her. He knew exactly how difficult it would be to be separated from her for months, when he'd asked her to be his that night at the Burrow….or so he thought.

He'd known it ever since that summer at the Burrow. There'd been something about her that enchanted him. It hadn't taken effect like a spell, but the more he'd seen of her the stronger her enchantment grew. The feeling she gave him was new and unfamiliar, but also warm and intriguing; something he definitely wanted more of. It had lingered in his heart for months and he'd never regretted acting on it. Not even on a night like tonight, when he missed her so much it almost ached.

He looked up as he heard an unexpected knock on the door; living in the middle of the forest meant that he did not get much visitors. He got to his feet and walked to the door, picking up his wand from a blue cabinet just to be safe.

He stopped dead as he noticed the dark purple hair, through the small window in the front door. There was something about the look in Tonk's bloodshot eyes that froze his heart. He hurried to the door and pulled it open with force.

'Judy?!' he asked urgently.

Tonks looked at him for a moment, searching for words. 'She needs you Charlie. She's had a vision, but when she tried to come back…'

'Merlin's beard, she's not,-'

'She's alive,' said Tonks quickly. 'But only just. The Healers tried every spell they could think of, but they can't bring her back.'

'Bring her back?' He asked confused.

'She's lost, Charlie. Caught between her vision and reality.' She paused. 'She seems to be fast asleep…I think Muggles call it a coma.'

'But I don't understand. What can I do?'

'Did she write you what your last letter did to her, when she was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts?' Charlie nodded. 'Well, I don't know how it works. But that letter helped her recover faster. And I was thinking, may be…you HAVE to come with me.' She pressed.

Charlie didn't think as he stepped onto the porch, grabbed her hand and closed the door with his other hand. 'Where's the Portkey?'

* * *

_Darkness. There was nothing around her now but darkness. Judy didn't know if it had been hours, days or even weeks since she told Tonks she was ready for her vision. She'd known in her heart that she lied straight to her cousin's face. And even though she hated herself for it, she knew she wouldn't have done anything differently._

_She'd Seen what she wanted to See. Her vision proved her father's innocence. Sirius Black had not betrayed his friends. He was not a murderer. Finally she found the prove she needed…and nobody would ever know about it._

_Judy crossed her arms for the umpteenth time, trying to calm her heart from racing. Having been afraid of the dark since childhood, she couldn't think of a more terrifying situation. Hovering in utter darkness, with not a single glimpse of light. Goosebumps covered her arms as she felt the cold around her and within. She'd tried to close her eyes and fall asleep to escape from her surroundings, only to realise that she was already caught in a dream that wouldn't end._

'What am I supposed to do?'

_Judy startled as she heard the male voice, cutting through the silence. It was the first and only sound she'd heard since the darkness caught her. _

_She still had her arms crossed, but to her surprise the skin on her arms changed. The goose bumps faded and her skin felt soft once again. _

_And then it started…without warning…she felt it…and realising what it meant…she smiled._

_A warm spark ignited in her heart and slowly, but surely grew as it enflamed her soul. Her fingers tingled, the same way they'd done in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. She knew what was happening, as she allowed the warmth to wash over her. She wasn't lost, she thought, as hope once again grew in her heart. _

* * *

Judy felt his touch as soon as her eyes fluttered. Her parched lips curled up in a smile before she was able to focus her eyes on the red haired man beside her bed. Charlie looked at her with the same worried eyes she'd seen at the Burrow. Judy's smile grew as she saw his ruffled hair.

'Did she drag you out of bed?' she asked hoarsely.

'Nothing affects your sense of humour, does it?' Charlie asked affectionately.

Judy smiled as she turned her eyes to her cousin. She took Tonks' hand and squeezed it gently. 'I'm sorry I put you through this. I wasn't sure that it would work. I hoped it would,' she added truthfully. 'But I had to know, Dora. I had to See.'

'And did you?' asked Tonks gently.

Judy nodded, remembering everything she saw as clear as crystal. 'I did. He's innocent, Dora. He wasn't their Secret Keeper. He told them he couldn't do it, he wouldn't risk my life.'

'I'm sorry, but what's this about?' asked Charlie confused.

'You didn't tell him?' asked Judy, still looking at her cousin.

'I thought he should hear it from you,' said Tonks honestly as she got to her feet. 'I'll wait outside. I'll see you when you're ready,' she looked at Charlie, before casting the Disillusionment charm on herself.

Judy cast her eyes to Charlie as an invisible Tonks closed the door. 'I'm really sorry you have to see me like this. But I'm really glad you came,' she said, as she caressed his cheek. 'What did Tonks tell you?'

'That you had a vision and that it went terribly wrong,' he said, squeezing Judy's cold hand. 'She said they tried every spell on you and nothing worked…I thought you…'

'I didn't,' said Judy quickly. 'I'm still here.'

'Judy…did you do this?' he asked confused. 'Did you summon it? Knowing what it did to you last time?' Judy nodded. 'Is that…?' he paused as he loosened his hold on her hand. 'Is that why you needed my picture? Did you think it would bring you back?'

'Charlie, I'm sorry. I never meant to lie to you, but if I had told you the truth you never would have,-'

'- let you kill yourself?' he asked, now drawing back his hands. 'Merlin's beard, Jude. What…why? Why would you do this to yourself?'

Judy leaned back against the headboard, eyeing him carefully. She knew there was only one way to handle this. 'For my father.'

'Your father?' Charlie asked confused. 'You said he left your mother before you were born.'

'I know. I lied,' she said truthfully. 'I'm sorry, it's a story Remus and I agreed on. I've had to tell that story all my life. For my own protection, but now also for his.'

'Protection from what?'

'The Ministry of Magic,' said Judy, rubbing her cold hands together as a shiver ran down her spine.

'The Ministry?' asked Charlie, still confused.

'Byrne is not my real name. It was my mother's name. My parents decided to give me my mother's name, because they didn't want the Death Eaters to know who my father was. If they did, they would have kidnapped me and used me against him.' Judy explained.

'But you just said the Ministry is after him? Charlie said.

'When I was four years old, someone betrayed my father's best friends. My father was falsely accused and thrown into Azkaban,' said Judy, emotion colouring her voice. 'Remus kept my identity a secret, because he was afraid what other wizards and witches would do if they found out my father had a daughter.' She paused as she saw his confused expression. 'He escaped from Azkaban last year, Charlie. And every Auror and Dementor has been looking for him since.'

'You don't mean…it can't be Black? Sirius Black is your father?!' said Charlie, taken aback.

'He is,' said Judy, unable to hide a smile.

'But he's, he's a mur,-'

'No, no he isn't,' said Judy quickly. 'You see, I summoned this vision to prove his innocence. Everybody believes he was the Potter's Secret Keeper. But I Saw he wasn't. He wouldn't take the job, because he was too afraid to risk my safety. He didn't know where they were hiding, he could never have betrayed them.'

'How can you be sure?'

'Because my visions have all been right so far,' said Judy calmly. 'I'm really sorry I put you through this, but I'm not sorry about summoning this vision. I had to know, Charlie. And I have to help him.'

'Help him? How?' he asked, clearly worried. 'He's supposed to get the Dementor's kiss. You can't save him, Jude.'

'I can if I can get the right people to help me.' Charlie looked at her for a moment. 'I have to tell Dumbledore.'

'Dumbledore can do a lot of things, but he can't counter Fudge's decision,' said Charlie, thinking.

Judy smiled. 'You believe me, don't you?'

'Of course I do,' he said quickly. 'But I don't like what you did. I understand why you did it, but I hate that you lied to me.'

'Me too,' said Judy warmly, as she took his hand in hers.

'Jude, this is only going to work if we're completely honest with each other,' said Charlie, running his fingers through his ruffled hair. 'I don't care about the distance or how little I can see you or talk to you. But I only want to go through with this if you promise…no, swear to me you'll never lie to me again. No matter what.'

'Charlie,-'

'I'm just asking you to give me a choice. No matter what you do, I need to have a choice to support you or not,' said Charlie. 'I deserve that.'

'You do,' she agreed, as she stifled a sob. 'You all do,' she said, thinking about her friends. ' I'm sorry…I swear I'll never lie to you again.'

'Thank you,' he said, cupping her cheek as he leaned in. Judy put her arms around his neck as he kissed her.

'Ahum,' the door stood ajar as Tonks' voice made them startle. 'We should go, Charlie.'

'Yes, I'm coming,' he said to the invisible origin of the voice. He turned his eyes back to Judy.

'Don't go.' She whispered, squeezing his hand. 'I've been wandering in darkness for days…don't leave me alone.'

'We have to go, Jude,' said Tonks urgently. 'We can't risk Remus or Charlie's family finding out about you two. If you need each other again in the future…'

'She needs me now,' Charlie cut across her.

'Charlie, you can't risk,-'

'I don't care, Tonks.' Charlie moved to the bed and sat down beside Judy, taking her in his arms as she laid her head on his chest. She closed her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat.

'You two…' she paused as she observed them for a moment. 'Fine, I'll be right outside the door. But we have to leave as soon she's asleep,' she looked at Charlie, reproachfully.

'Thank you, Dora,' Judy cast her cousin a smile.

Charlie kissed her raven black hair as Tonks closed the door. 'I'm sorry I asked you to add us to your list of secrets,' he said suddenly.

'It's not like we had a choice,' said Judy truthfully. 'They wouldn't understand, you know they wouldn't.'

'They would only try to protect you,' said Charlie gently.

'From you?' she asked amused. 'You do realise you saved my life tonight?'

'Not just yours,' he said, before kissing the back of her head and tightening his hold on her. 'Try to sleep, love.' Judy smiled as she felt his warmness. She welcomed the sleep washing over her as her head slowly rose and fell on her boyfriend's chest.

* * *

Judy woke the next morning in a sun lit room. She moaned as she sat up and startled as she heard a loud bang. The nurse at the end of her bed looked at her with widened eyes. Judy didn't have a chance to speak as the young witch turned on her heel and left the room, calling for the Healer.

Within seconds a red haired witch, Judy knew all too well, rushed into the room.

'You're…you're awake,' said Jessica Waters, flabbergasted.

'I am,' said Judy with a smile. 'It's good to see you, Mrs. Waters.'

'You too, Judy. But I don't…I don't understand how?' she walked over to the young dark haired witch and laid her hand on her forehead. 'Your fever is down, and you've got some colour back on your cheeks. You must be starving.'

'I am,' said Judy as her stomach churned. 'And I'm very thirsty too.'

'I'll ask the nurse to bring you something to eat and drink,' said Mrs. Waters with a smile. 'I've already asked her to send for your family. I think they've just gone up for some tea. '

'Is Remus here?' asked Judy hopefully.

'He only leaves you when we tell him he has to sleep,' said Mrs. Waters warmly.

She sharply turned around as the door flew open. Lupin stood in the doorway, panting. His eyes quickly found Judy's. He looked tired, Judy thought, more tired than she'd ever seen him before. His complexion was pale and grey and the circles beneath his eyes weren't far from pitch black. His tired eyes were bloodshot, but as he looked at Judy she saw the warmth returning to his irises.

'Hi,' Judy said hoarsely as he walked up to her, as if wandering in a dream.

'You're awake(!)' Andromeda said as she walked to the bed. 'My dear girl,' she said warmly, stroking Judy's dark hair. 'We were so worried about you.' She looked over her shoulder. 'Nymphadora, look!'

'Hey Jude,' Tonks exchanged a smile with her.

'Sweetheart,' Lupin leaned in and kissed her forehead. Judy quickly threw her arms around him and hugged him.

'I'm sorry, Remus,' she said truthfully. 'I'm sorry I put you all through this.'

'You're back,' Lupin whispered. 'That's all that matters.'

Judy pulled back. 'No, it isn't. I lied to you. All of you,' she said, meeting Tonk's and Adromeda's eyes as well. 'Even my friends,' she met Mrs. Waters eyes, knowing she understood who she was referring too.

'I'll leave you for now,' said Mrs. Waters. 'I'll be back this afternoon to do some tests, if that's all right Judy.' The younger witched nodded and looked after her as she closed the door. She leaned over to her night stand, took her wand and cast a Muffliato spell at the door.

'Jude, what,-'

'I owe you the truth,' she explained.

'You should rest,' said Andromeda as she sat down beside her. 'Whatever you have to say,-'

'It can't wait,' she said quickly, as if she could slip back into the darkness in an instant. 'I need to tell you this exactly how I Saw it.'

'Sweetheart,' said Remus as he caressed her hair. 'You shouldn't strain yourself.'

'Tell them, Jude,' said Tonks suddenly, making Remus and Andromeda look at her simultaneously.

'Nymphadora!'

'She risked her life to have this vision, Mum,' Tonks replied. 'No matter what she did wrong, we owe this to her.'

'Thank you, Dora,' said Judy honestly.

'All right,' said Lupin in defeat. 'But I'm ending this as soon as I think it's too much for you.' Judy smiled at him.

'Did you tell them why I did it?' Tonks nodded. 'Good. Well, then I guess all there's left to say is that he's innocent. Sirius is innocent. He wasn't their Secret Keeper. Lily and James asked him, but he turned them down. He said he couldn't risk my life.'

'Your life?' asked Lupin confused.

'He was afraid Voldemort would find out and that he would hunt him down and then find me,' Judy explained. 'He felt he failed my mother the night she was killed. He wanted to save me, to protect me. '

'Sweetheart, are you sure it was a vision,-'

'I didn't imagine it,' she said quickly. 'It was the vision I asked for. I only slipped into the darkness when I tried to come back.' Her heart sank as she saw the look in Lupin's eyes. 'It was as clear as crystal. It happened, Remus. I didn't imagine it. It really happened.'

'All right,' he said, taking her hand in his. 'Let's suppose it did…it doesn't matter, Jude. Sirius is still on the run and the Dementors are still after him.'

'But I Saw it, Remus,' she pleaded. 'I swear, I'm not lying. He is innocent. He never knew where James and Lily were hiding. He never betrayed them.'

'I don't understand,' said Andromeda suddenly. 'Sirius was the Potters' best friend. If he wasn't their Secret Keeper, then who,-'

'Peter Pettigrew.'

'Wormtail?' asked Lupin in disbelief. 'Why would they ask him? I mean,-' he paused, doubting his next words.

'Lily wanted to ask you,' said Judy, reading his mind. 'But James thought you had enough to deal with, with your transformations and…and everything else.' She squeezed his hand. 'The last vision I had at Hogwarts, the one that put me in the hospital wing, was about my mother and Lily. My mother visited Lily, when she should have been in hiding, only to tell her one thing.' Judy looked into her uncle's eyes as she remembered. 'She said that whenever they found their lives depending on magic, that they should trust Sirius. Only Sirius.'

'But they didn't,' said Andromeda confused.

'Yes, they did,' said Judy with a sad smile. 'Sirius asked them not to make him Secret Keeper. And he suggested to ask Peter and not Remus.'

'So they trusted him,' said Tonks. 'They asked Pettigrew.'

'But Briana said….' Lupin fell silent for a moment. 'Briana said they should trust Sirius. And they did, and now they're…'

'May be she meant they had to ask Sirius himself, to only trust him as Secret Keeper,' said Andromeda. 'May be they interpreted it wrong.'

'May be,' said Judy, feeling as confused as her aunt and uncle.

'Or may be she knew,' said Tonks, thinking. 'May be it was the only way for Harry to survive.' They all fell silent for a moment.

'Sacrifice is inherent to war…' whispered Lupin, as he brushed away a dark strand of Judy's hair. He cast her a sad smile as he cupped her cheek, knowing she understood his words. 'Your mother died for you.'

'She knew Lily would do the same for Harry,' said Judy, wiping away a tear from her cheek.

Lupin looked at her with watery eyes. 'I wonder,' he said, caressing her hand. 'If she ever knew you would do the same for your father as well.'

'You believe me, don't you?' asked Judy hopefully.

'I want to, sweetheart,' he said calmly. 'Believe me, I do. But a vision from a 16-year old girl, who has never shown such magic before, will never convince the Ministry.'

'Especially if they find out you're his daughter,' said Tonks seriously. 'The only thing on their mind will be to keep you there for questioning.'

'You're right, they won't believe me,' said Judy, ready to reveal the next part of her plan. 'But Dumbledore will.'

'Dumbledore,' Lupin sighed. 'Yes, I suppose he will believe you. But Fudge will never,-'

'I don't have to convince Fudge. I only have to convince Dumbledore,' said Judy.

'And then what?' asked Tonks.

'Then he'll do the rest,' she said, convinced. 'Dumbledore will find a way, he always does.'

'There are limits to Dumbledore's charm,' said Andromeda seriously. 'And his magic.'

'But not his wits,' said Tonks with a smile. Judy smiled too, but her smile soon turned into a yawn as her fatigue finally caught up with her.

'You should rest, sweetheart,' said Lupin as he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

'But…'

'You've had your say,' he replied. 'Now you need to rest and replenish your strength. You'll be no good to your father if you don't recover from this.'

'Will you go with me, Remus?' asked Judy sleepily.

'Of course I will,' he said with a warm smile. 'But only if you promise to wait until you're all better and out of St. Mungo's.'

'I promise,' said Judy, yawning again. Lupin caressed her cheek one more time as Andromeda leaned over and kissed her forehead.

'Sleep, my dear,' she said warmly. 'We'll be back when you wake.'

'I'll stay until you fall asleep,' said Tonks, reading Judy's mind.

Judy watched Lupin as he cast a glance at Tonks; seeing with a painful sting in her heart that something had changed between them.

'We'll see you later, sweetheart,' said Lupin as he followed Andromeda out of the room. Judy waited for the door to close before she spoke.

'It's because of me, isn't it?'

'What do you mean?' asked Tonks confused as she sat down beside her.

'He's angry with you because of me,' she explained.

Tonks smiled, though her hair colour turned a darker shade of purple. 'He's angry with me , because I chose to help you. That wasn't your choice, it was mine. So no, he's not angry with me because of you.'

'He won't stay angry with you,' said Judy reassuringly. 'He can't. I know he lov…likes you,' she said truthfully.

'You need to focus on yourself now,' said Tonks with a smile. 'Now, close your eyes and go to sleep. Or Remus will never forgive me…' Judy closed her eyes, but quickly opened them again.

'How's Duncan?' she asked, feeling guilty that she hadn't thought of him before.

'Still his old self,' said Tonks reassuringly. 'My parents are looking after him, until you're ready to go back to school.'

'Good,' Judy smiled. She took Tonks' hand before closing her eyes and settling on the soft mattress. She knew her cousin would understand that she didn't want to face the darkness alone.

'I'm here, Jude,' said Tonks softly as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Two weeks later, Judy sat in a dead quiet hospital room, staring at the hospital bed with her packed trunk on top of it. She'd spent most of her time sleeping, knowing it was the best way to recover, but also using it to avoid any thoughts about her upcoming conversation with the Headmaster. Though she'd been convinced that Dumbledore would help her, Lupin's and Andromeda's words had settled in and caused serious doubts in her heart.

'He has to believe me,' Judy whispered, as she hugged herself. After everything she'd been through, everything she put her friends through, everything she put her family through…she couldn't…she refused to believe she'd risked her life for possibly nothing.

'I see you are packed and ready to leave,' a warm female voice spoke. Judy looked up and met the Healer's warm eyes. 'I still can't believe how fast you've recovered.' Judy smiled as she took the red coral, dangling from a silver necklace, in her hand.

'I can't either.'

'It's a miracle, Jude,' said Mrs. Waters as she sat down on the bed. 'Please remember that,' she impressed. 'And promise me you will never summon a vision again, if you know you can't control it.'

'I promise,' said Judy truthfully. 'I won't summon one and I won't fight it, if it happens by itself.'

'Good,' Mrs. Waters smiled as she got to her feet. 'Then I can let you leave this hospital, knowing I will never have to see you like this again.' She walked over to the younger witch and knelt in front of her. 'You must have had a rough year,' she said, gently brushing away a black hair from her face. 'But facing this alone is not an option, Jude. You need your family and you need your friends.' She said, brushing away a tear from Judy's cheek. 'I don't know who saved your life, but it must have been someone that cares for your very deeply.' Judy looked back at her, surprised. 'Love has a far greater power than any kind of magic.'

'Have you told Willow about this?' asked Judy carefully. Mrs. Waters nodded. 'She hates me, she'll never forgive,-'

'You betrayed her trust, sweetheart. You betrayed it by keeping this from her. But that doesn't mean you can't earn it back,' she smiled at the younger witch. 'You two have been inseparable for more than five years. Your bond isn't easily broken, especially not if you choose to fight for it.' They both looked up at the knock on the door.

'Hello,' Lupin hesitated for a moment.

'Come in, Remus,' said Mrs. Waters as she got to her feet. 'We've said our goodbyes.'

'Are you sure she's strong enough?' asked Lupin, worried. 'I mean, if she needs to stay for another week or so…'

'She's fully recovered,' said Mrs. Waters reassuringly. 'Besides, she'll feel a lot better when she's back at school than if she stays cooped up in here.'

'Yes, I suppose she will,' Lupin agreed. 'Thank you for everything, Jessica.'

'You're welcome,' she smiled at him, before walking out of the room.

'So,' said Lupin, walking over to Judy. She smiled as she noticed the colour had returned to his face. 'All ready to go?' She only nodded. 'Good. I already took Duncan to the castle this morning.'

'How?' asked Judy sternly.

'We Flooed there,' said Lupin.

'You know he hates that, Remus,' she said reproachfully.

'I figured he would hate it more if I packaged him and sent him by owl…' said Lupin amused.

Judy smiled. 'And I suppose there's only one way for us to travel?'

'Professor Dumbledore has lifted some of the protective charms, so we can Apparate immediately to his office. He looked at the clock on the wall. 'We should go.'

Judy nodded as she got to her feet. She took Lupin's hand and grabbed the handle of her trunk with the other. Lupin gave her a gentle squeeze, before she felt a hook at her navel pulling her back into a world of confusion. Judy closed her eyes, holding on tightly to Lupin and her trunk.

She gasped for air as she suddenly felt solid ground beneath her feet. As she opened her eyes she saw they'd Apparated in front of Dumbledore's office door. Lupin took the brass knocker in his hands as Judy shoved her trunk against a wall.

'Come in,' Dumbledore's voice came quickly after the first knock.

Lupin opened the door and Judy followed him inside the office. It looked exactly the same as on her previous visits; ….. except for one thing.

'How kind of you to grace us with your presence…' Judy turned sharply at the sound of the sinister voice. Snape looked at her with eyes filled of disdain. 'I see you've recovered from your so called vision….Ms. Black.'

'Her name is Byrne, Severus,' said Lupin tensely as he blocked Judy from his view. She quickly took his hand to make sure he couldn't lunge at Snape, should he have more snide remarks. She knew her Potions Professor well enough, to know he wouldn't leave it at this.

'Did she not summon her vision to prove Black's innocence?' asked Snape confused. 'Sirius Black? Voldemort's most loyal servant and a proven mass murderer? Who else but his daughter would be blind enough with love to believe in his innocence?' He said, his voice coloured with malice as he looked at Judy. 'You are as thick and as arrogant,-'

'Enough!' Lupin interjected. 'She is still your student, Severus.'

'I don't participate in favouritism, Lupin,' Snape retorted.

Judy looked around the room as the tension between the two men rose to the ceiling. She quickly spotted Dumbledore, observing the exchange from behind a pillar, his half-moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose.

'Why do you hate us so much?' said Judy suddenly, as she walked around Lupin. 'What have we ever done to you?'

'Judy…' Lupin held her back as she wanted to approach her Potions master.

'Hate you?' Snape arched a brow at her. 'You don't know anything about hate, Ms. Black,-' Lupin quickly pulled her back as Snape approached them.

'I'm sorry I'm late,' said Dumbledore, finally stepping in. 'Oh, you're still here, Severus? Sorry to keep you waiting, but you can leave.'

Snape looked confused for a moment. 'Sir, I thought we,-'

'We're done, Severus. Oh, and I trust you will use the name Byrne in the future? Goodbye.' Dumbledore said in his usual warm voice. Snape nodded curtly. He cast a hard glance at both Judy and Lupin before briskly walking past them and closing the thick wooden door.

'You told him?!' said Lupin, not withholding his astonishment and anger.

'He had to know, Remus,' said Dumbledore dismissively as he approached Judy. He took her hands in his. 'I'm very glad to see you. You look well,' he said warmly. 'Please, have a seat.'

'Why?' said Lupin, still standing as Judy sat down opposite the Headmaster's seat. 'Why did he have to know? You know how he reacted when he found out who she was to me.' Judy looked at the exchange with interest, realising she was witnessing something they'd apparently had tried to hide from her.

'Because we need him,-' Dumbledore suddenly fell silent, as if only now noticing Judy. 'But that's not why we are here,' he said, looking at Judy over his half-moon spectacles. Judy could sense Lupin moving behind her, but Dumbledore silenced him with a look before he had a chance to speak.

'Has Remus told you what I Saw?' asked Judy.

'He has,' said Dumbledore sitting down in front of her and folding his hands. 'But I still have a few questions I think only you can answer.'

'Of course, Professor.'

'Firstly, are you certain that you saw what you saw? I mean, are you certain it was a vision and not…'

'A figment of my imagination, brought on by the fever?' Judy finished. 'I am absolutely certain, sir.'

'How?' Dumbledore leaned forward attentively.

'Because it was as clear as crystal, sir. It wasn't incoherent, like a dream. I Saw everything, the whole evening,' she said, convinced.

'All right. Secondly, how do you know the Potters asked Pettigrew to be their Secret Keeper? How do you know they didn't change their mind?' he asked, his chin leaning on his folded hands.

'Lily understood,' said Judy, remembering the other witch's words to her father. 'Sirius didn't want to be their Secret Keeper, because he wanted to protect me. He couldn't risk my life, like…like he risked my mother's life.' Judy paused for a moment to still her emotions. She took Lupin's hand as he placed his on her shoulder. 'Lily understood that he wanted to protect me. She told him he was…he was a good father,' she said, emotion colouring her voice. 'She would never have asked him to reconsider.'

'She's right, Albus. Lily would never have asked Sirius to risk Judy's life,' said Remus truthfully.

'I believe her, Remus,' said Dumbledore in earnest. He leaned back against the high back of the chair, contemplating his next words. 'I have one more question to ask you.'

'Anything, sir.'

'Who brought you back?' he asked, as Judy's heart rose up into her throat.

'What do you mean, sir?' she asked, feigning confusement.

'I spoke to Mrs. Waters. She said she'd tried every Healing spell she knew,' Dumbledore explained. 'Magic did not save you, Judy.'

'Magic will never be able to save us,' Judy whispered.

'What did you say?' asked Lupin, taken aback.

'It's something my mum said to my dad, in one of my visions,' she looked from Dumbledore to Lupin. 'You think it was Sirius, don't you?'

'Was it?' asked Dumbledore interested.

'No,' said Judy truthfully, part of her wishing that it had been her father who saved her life.

'Then who?' asked Lupin confused. 'It must have been some one that cared for you very much.'

'I think it was you,' said Judy. 'All of you. Andromeda, Ted, Dora, you. You all sat by my side for days.'

'But nothing happened in those days,' said Lupin. Judy bit her lip as she looked at him, her mind racing on how to save herself and protect the man who really saved her.

'May be it happened gradually. May be you gave me a little energy every time you visited,' she said, thinking. 'I don't know how it exactly happens.' She said looking from one man to the other. 'But last time I was in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey sent me to my friends to recover. May be it was enough to have people around me that loved me.'

Dumbledore studied her for a while in silence. Judy looked back at him, using all the years of experience she had, when it came to lying. She could even feel Lupin's eyes, boring in her back as he slowly retreated his hand from her grasp. She knew they doubted her words, but she refused to tell them the truth. She knew that if she did, she'd never be allowed to see Charlie again. And for once in her life she didn't regret nor feel guilty about lying to the two wizards.

'All right,' Dumbledore finally spoke. 'I believe you.' He paused. 'And I will do everything in my power to help you.'

'You will?!' Judy turned around in her seat to look at Lupin, who obviously regretted he'd let those words slip.

'Of course I will, Remus,' said Dumbledore seriously. 'I believe she is telling the truth, and that means the Ministry has sentenced an innocent man to a fate worse than death.' Judy looked back at Dumbledore with a smile.

'How will you convince the Minister of Magic?' she asked interested.

'That will be my concern,' said Dumbledore, leaning forward again. 'I will take this task upon me, Judy. I will make sure that Sirius does not get the Dementor's kiss. But only if you promise me something.'

'Anything, sir,' she said, not believing her ears as her smile grew.

'I want you to let this go,' he said carefully. 'All of it. I can't allow you to risk your life anymore.'

'But, Professor,-'

'I'm serious, Judy,' Dumbledore said sternly. 'If I find out you put yourself in any more danger this year, I will not save him.' Judy looked at him for a few seconds, realising he was dead serious. 'Do you hear me? I will not save him.'

'I swear it,' said Judy, without thinking. 'I'll do anything you ask. Just, please…please save him.' She pleaded.

'I promise,' said Dumbledore, eyeing her over his half-moon spectacles. 'I will do everything in my power to save Sirius Black.' Judy couldn't do anything but stare at the old wizard opposite her. He cast her a small smile.

'Thank you,' she said hoarsely, her tears suddenly flowing, as she realised for the first time in 12 years, she did not stand alone. She'd finally found someone who believed her, who could and would help her save her father.

'You can thank me when I've succeeded,' he said. 'Now, if that is all.'

'Ehm, yes,' said Judy, surprised by the sudden end of their conversation.

'Good. I trust you can find your own way back to your dorm. Remus, I would like a word.'

'I can wait outside,-'

'No,' said Dumbledore sharply. 'Go to your dorm. There are still Aurors in the castle, made invisible by the Disillusionment charm. They shouldn't see the two of you together.' He explained. Judy looked in his eyes, wondering if she could see the lie in there. Dumbledore wanted to separate her from Lupin, but Aurors had nothing to do with his reasons why.

'It's all right, sweetheart,' said Lupin in a kinder tone. 'I'll see you soon enough, in class.'

Judy got up from her seat, gave Dumbledore a short nod and turned to Lupin. She walked up to him and kissed his cheek. 'Thank you for not letting me do this alone.' He kissed her forehead.

'Go to your dorm, sweetheart. Try and get some more rest.' He said, quickly forgetting her as he turned his eyes to Dumbledore.

Judy took the hint and left the room, taking her time to close the thick wooden door.

'Have a seat, Remus,' said Dumbledore kindly.

'I'd rather stand,' he said coldly, as Judy pulled the door close behind her. She couldn't resist pressing her ear against the door.

'Ahum,' Judy startled at the high pitched voice. Professor Flitwick looked at her reproachfully.

'Professor…' said Judy, at a loss for words.

'Professor Dumbledore has asked me to walk you to your dorm,' he answered the unasked question. 'I've already sent your trunk ahead of us.' He took a step to the side. 'After you, Ms. Byrne.'

Judy descended the spiral staircase without a word. Professor Flitwick followed in her wake and took the lead as they headed down the corridor.

The sun still had not reached its highest point, Judy noticed as she looked out of the windows they passed. She guessed it was eleven in the morning, meaning most of the students would be in the grounds or in their dorm, enjoying their home-work free Saturday morning.

'Now, as I understand it,' Professor Flitwick suddenly spoke as they reached the marble staircase. 'You sent several homework assignments in by owl, during the holidays.'

'Yes, sir. I decided to work ahead, in case…'

'In case you suddenly needed to be admitted to St. Mungo's?' asked Professor Flitwick, casting her a glance over his shoulder.

'Professor,-'

'All I need to know, Byrne, is that you are not far behind in your courses. In fact, there's only one subject you will need to hand in an extra assignment for.'

'Let me guess,' Judy said. 'Potions?'

'I'm afraid so, yes. The other teachers have been very kind to overlook the classes you missed since the holidays. But Professor Snape requires some extra effort on your part.' He handed her a piece of parchment.

'Wolfsbane potion,' Judy sighed. 'Professor, we've covered this subject earlier this year.'

'Then you can use your earlier essay and update it with new information,' Professor Flitwick explained as they reached the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower. The enchanted doorknob opened its beak.

'Which spell makes objects fly?'

'That's not a difficult question at all. Wingardium Leviosa.**'** answered Professor Flitwick. He stepped aside as the door swung open. 'I trust you'll hand in the assignment before the end of next week.'

'Of course, Professor,' said Judy quickly.

'Enjoy the rest of your weekend,' he squeaked, before turning on his heel and walking out of sight.

Judy entered the common room, clutching Snape's homework assignment in her hand. It was unexpectedly quiet as Judy walked into the room; apparently most students had chosen to enjoy the sunny weather instead of staying in the confinements of the castle. In fact, only two familiar faces had decided to stay behind.

'There she is…' Aidan cast her a grin as he looked up from his game of wizard's chess. 'Did you mix up your Easter and summer holiday?' he asked amused.

'How are you feeling?' Connor asked seriously, as he looked up from the other end of the board.

'Good, actually,' said Judy truthfully. 'How much….'

'Willow told us everything,' Connor answered the unasked question. 'We really don't care if you're a Seer, Jude,' he said reassuringly.

'Thank you,' she said, relieved.

'Oh, can you tell me who's going to win the Quidditch World Cup next year?' Aidan asked eagerly.

'That would be cheating, Aidan,' said Judy, impersonating Professor McGonagall's voice.

'Which is exactly how I passed my OWL's….' he said as he moved a piece on the board. 'Check.'

'What?!' Connor turned sharply around. 'How did you…?'

'I'm going to take a nap,' said Judy walking to the stairs. 'Good luck, Connor.'

'You look good, Jude,' Aidan called over his shoulder.

'I'm not going to tell you who wins the Quidditch World Cup…' she called back, smiling as she ascended the spiralling stairs.

She walked inside the dorm, still wearing a smile on her face as her eyes suddenly locked with familiar brown ones. Willow cast Judy a small smile as she sat on her bed.

'How are you feeling?' she asked gently, as Judy's eyes lowered to the sketchbook on Willow's lap. Despite the distance between them she recognized the drawing immediately.

Judy grabbed her wand and cast a wordless Muffliato spell at the door behind her. 'What are you doing?!' she asked, her voice filled with panic.

'I couldn't take it anymore, Jude,' said Willow apologetically. 'I had to know why. I had to understand why you put yourself through this, knowing…'

'What do you mean, why I put myself through this? Your mum didn't know,-'

'No, she didn't. But why else would you have reached out to us, just before the holidays? You needed us,' she continued. 'Just like you did last time. You needed us to help you recover. That's why you were so desperate to have us forgive you.'

'You had no right…' Judy said, overtaken by emotion.

'Well, then we're even,' Willow retorted. 'You're right. I had no right to go through your things, but you had no right to keep me in the dark while you, my best friend, was wasting away…'

'I never meant to put you through anything…but I…I'm the only one who believes in him. The only one who can prove his innocence,' said Judy, now in tears. 'I couldn't risk you stopping me from doing this, because then…'

'You wouldn't be able to save his soul,' said Willow, in understanding. 'Why have you never…I mean, we've known each other for six years….'

'What was I supposed to tell you? That I have father locked up in Azkaban, because he betrayed his best friends and killed thirteen people?' Judy asked, as she crossed the distance between them. 'I didn't think you'd understand.'

'May be I wouldn't have, before….and I suppose my father being an Auror doesn't help much either…' said Willow, thinking.

'You might have told him,' said Judy in earnest. 'And I would have understood if you did. I'm sorry, Will. I just couldn't risk it. Not for his safety, but my own either. Do you know what the Ministry would do if they found out he had a daughter?'

'Capture you and blackmail him into turning himself in,' said Willow immediately. 'I think that's what my father would do.'

'Are you….are you going to…'

'Tell him?!' asked Willow taken aback. 'Hey, I might be cross with you, but I didn't turn into Odelia overnight! I could never be that cruel to you, no matter what happened between us.'

'Thanks, Will,' said Judy as she sat down beside her on the bed.

'So tell me, have you told anyone about him?' she asked, looking at the drawing of Sirius Black in his younger years.

'Well, Remus knows of course. A few of my relatives, and Dumbledore,' she said. 'Oh, and I told Fred before the holidays…it was the only way I could persuade him to help me.'

'I'm glad you didn't have to keep this secret all on your own,' said Willow kindly. 'I can't imagine what it must have been like for you…keeping this from your friends.'

'I think you can,' said Judy guiltily, thinking about what she'd put Willow through in the past year. 'I meant what I said, before the holidays. I really am sorry about…everything.'

'I know you are,' said Willow, looking up from the drawing. 'I just don't like how you waited to tell me the truth, until the moment you needed something from me.'

'You're right, that was selfish of me,' admitted Judy. 'I didn't realise it, until I came back. But I…I used you. All of you.'

'Yes, you did,' said Willow, without hesitation. 'Even when you told Fred the truth, it was only so he would help you.' Judy looked away, not able to meet her friend's eyes. 'I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but you really weren't.'

'I only wanted to save him,' said Judy apologetically.

'No matter what the cost,' Willow finished, her red hair hiding her face from view as she looked back at the drawing. 'You risked everything, Jude. Not just your life, but ours as well. What if you had died? What about Fred and George? What about Remus? What about Charlie?' Judy took the red coral in between her fingers. 'He saved you, didn't he?' asked Willow, as she noticed the necklace.

'How do you know?' askd Judy confused.

'Mum said it must have been someone that cared for you very much,' she said.

'Tonks went to see him. She told him everything…' she smiled. 'He saved my life, Will.'

'Of course he did,' she said amused. 'He's head over heels with you!'

Judy laughed. 'You don't even know him.'

'Trust me, the way he asked you to be his girlfriend…he's smitten with you, Jude.' Willow looked back at the drawing. 'You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he loves you as much as you love your dad. Is he as cute as your dad?'

'Will!'

'What? He's gorgeous, Jude. Those long dark locks, that stubble, those amazing eyes…' She said dreamily.

'He's my dad,' Judy retorted. 'You'll forgive me for not swooning over him.' She took the drawing from her friend and leaned against the headboard as she looked at it.

'So, how are you going to do it?' asked Willow interested, as she leaned against the headboard as well.

'Do what?' asked Judy, not taking her eyes off her father.

'Save him,' said Willow, meeting Judy's eyes as she turned. 'You didn't risk your life to just let it go, did you?'

'Actually, I did,' said Judy, smiling as she saw the confusion in her friend's face. 'I just told Dumbledore everything and he promised he would save Sirius from the Dementor's kiss.'

'Really?! How?'

'I have no idea,' said Judy truthfully. 'But it's Dumbledore…I'm sure he'll find a way. He only had one condition.'

'What was it?' asked Willow interested.

'That I would let it go. That I wouldn't summon a vision or do anything else to risk my life,' said Judy. 'If I do then he won't save him.'

'Can you?' asked Willow carefully. 'Can you let it go?'

'Dumbledore can do more for him than I can,' Judy replied, caressing young Sirius' cheek. 'I don't have a choice.'

'So, I guess that means no more lies?' Willow asked carefully.

'No more lies,' Judy promised with a small smile. 'Do you think you can ever forgive me?'

'I already did, remember? But like I said before, I can't forget it,' said Willow truthfully.

'I think it's better if you don't,' said Judy, thinking. 'And I know things won't be the same ever again, but,- '

'Oh, I don't know, Jude. In time, they might,' Willow said hopefully as Judy looked sideways.

'You talked to your mum, didn't you?' she asked with a smile.

'I think she used the same speech on both of us.' Willow looked up as the door creaked. Judy followed her gaze and noticed Duncan strutting up to them, a dead mouse dangling from his mouth.

Judy smiled as Willow yelped. 'Jude!'

'I'll take care of it,' the black haired witch smiled she sat up on the bed. She only hoped the rest of her school life would turn back to normal so quickly.


End file.
